Make-up artist sues Kardashians
The Kardashian sisters are being sued for $10m.
Reality TV stars Kim, Kourtney and Khloe could face a mammoth legal bill following make-up artist Lee Tillett's claim they stole the name of their new cosmetics range, Khroma Beauty, from her.
Lee is also asking for damages from Boldface Group Inc, the company that markets their line, after a cease and desist letter sent last July imploring them to stop using the name failed to work.
She told the Orlando Sentinel: "I developed the Kroma line myself, built my business through my own hard work, and took the legal steps necessary to protect it.
"And yet I have now been forced into legal battle with the Kardashians simply because they have decided to take something that doesn't belong to them."
Boldface petitioned a Florida court to rule Lee's brand name "conceptually weak", because it "consists solely of a descriptive term and lacks any inherent distinctive meaning to the relevant consuming public."
The make-up artist - who set up her line in 2004 - responded by claiming the confusion over the names is affecting her business as customers assume it is connected with the infamous sisters' recently-launched products.
She said: "The false association is damaging ... and threatens to destroy its business."
Meanwhile, Lee's attorney Elliot Gipson claims Kim - who says she came up with the name herself - was aware via her placement agents TLK Fusion of a 2010 deal to ensure product placement for Kroma on an E! Entertainment show Kim was due to produce.
He said: "On or about May 2010, representatives for Tillett and TLK Fusion were engaged in discussions regarding the possible product placement of the KROMA cosmetics line on the television reality show special 'The SPINdustry' that was scheduled to air on E! Entertainment Television following an episode of 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians'."
The Armenian beauties are also currently entangled in a lawsuit with Los Angeles-based Chroma Makeup Studio.
