Judd or Dud: Can You Tell the Difference?

“If you guys are furniture people, because I’ve really gotten into furniture lately,” Kim Kardashian said in a YouTube video, gesturing toward a large wooden table and set of chairs, “these Donald Judd tables are really amazing and totally blend in with the seats.”

When the video — a tour of the Los Angeles offices of Ms. Kardashian’s skin-care company, Skkn by Kim — was released in 2022, few so-called “furniture people” raised an eyebrow. Most viewers likely assumed that the reality-star-turned-businesswoman-turned-actress-turned-criminal-justice-advocate had real Donald Judd tables, which cost $90,000, and chairs, which go for $9,000 each. The artist’s furniture is tasteful, aspirational and so expensive that it may seem ostentatious to anyone who recognizes it — all in line with Ms. Kardashian’s brand image.

There was one problem: The tables and chairs weren’t Judds. Last month, the Judd Foundation sued Ms. Kardashian and Clements Design, which manufactured the furniture. “Clements Design’s and Ms. Kardashian’s actions harm Judd Foundation’s reputation by undermining its ability to control the quality of pieces sold under its trademarks, as well as its ability to control Mr. Judd’s name and identity,” the foundation stated in its complaint.