Porsha Williams and Dennis McKinley are in baby bliss after making news of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star’s pregnancy public. But now, a new report has uncovered an old legal battle Williams’ fiancé was involved in with a former girlfriend while courting Williams.
In May 2015, McKinley sued Shanise Thomason for “trademark infringement, conversion and other wrongful acts” in connection to his hair weave company, Queen Virgin Remy company, Radar Online reported Tuesday, Oct. 2.
McKinley’s filing was made in a Northern District of Georgia court and alleged Thomason had no “ownership rights or interests in Queen Virgin Remy” and said she stole inventory from the brand in a retail store in Columbus, Ga., in February of that year.
“Thomason entered into the Columbus store with a large black trash bag,” the documents obtained by Radar read. “She walked behind the front counter of the store and opened the door to the store’s stock room. She removed hair products inventory from storage bins and placed them into the black trash bag and left the store with the black trash bag filled with Queen Virgin Remy hair products.”
In total, McKinley said his ex stole $5,900 worth of goods, which is 67 percent of the store’s inventory.
When the police got involved, McKinley alleged Thomason tried to avoid being arrested by saying that she “shared ownership” of the store. By the end of February 2015, she had turned herself in and local authorities charged her with shoplifting.
McKinley also accused Thomason of using the Queen Virgin Remy trade name and brand logo to “promote and market herself and her own business ventures in a way that is misleading and confusing to members of the public.”
When he filed the documents, he said he hasn’t recovered the stolen inventory.
He was granted a temporary restraining order when he asked the court to grant him one so as to prevent “continuation of wrongful conduct.”
But Thomason didn’t take McKinley’s accusations sitting down. She issued a counterclaim and alleged she had co-ownership of Queen Virgin Remy and is entitled to use the trademark.
“In June 2012, Counterclaim Defendant McKinley proposed to Ms. Thomason that they open a storefront hair extension business in Atlanta,” it read. “Ms. Thomason and McKinley agreed to become partners in the Queen Virgin Remy business in the summer of 2012.”
She also denied she shoplifted and claimed her ex-boyfriend made shoplifting accusations “maliciously and falsely.”
Thomason, who said she met McKinley when he was “selling hair from the back of a vehicle through Craigslist,” agreed to provide the start-up funds for the business. She said he did not have the money to launch the business himself. According to Thomason, the pair agreed to split things down the middle and he would equally share the profits from the hair weave business.
But apparently, McKinley registered the company with him as the sole member in August 2012 without her knowing.
“McKinley also did not include Ms. Thomason on other company documents for their business, was all done in violation of their partnership agreements,” the counterclaim said.
McKinley, who had also gotten Homason evicted from his apartment in 2014, answered the counterclaim and said he chatted about joining separate businesses in a single storefront in Atlanta but said the “idea never materialized” past preliminary discussions.
“McKinley and Thomason continued with their separate businesses, with McKinley later operating his first storefront business for Queen Virgin Remy and Thomason opening a new location in Buckhead Atlanta for her EgoXtensions business,” the document stated.
It was only in July of this year that the ex-couple made a confidential settlement. Thomason is permanently prohibited from even using Queen Virgin Remy.
