Live: Gottfried v. Night Media — docket record in the Streamer University auditions suit

Disclosure: the plaintiff in this case, Caleb Gottfried, is the editor of NVR.news and the founder of its publisher. Because of that conflict, this page confines itself to what the public court docket records and to third-party reports listed in the sources box. It contains no characterization of the merits by NVR.news. Gottfried has reviewed it for accuracy against the docket. The defendants are invited to reply at the address on the masthead, and any reply will be published in full.

Night Media, Inc., a talent-management company; Kai Cenat LLC, a New York limited liability company; and Kai Cenat LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, are defendants in a federal lawsuit arising from the in-person auditions for the second season of Streamer University, held on June 12, 2026 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan.

What the complaint says

The action was filed on June 26, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by Caleb Gottfried, an independent musician who records as SNVRK and a New Jersey resident, representing himself. The case number is 1:26-cv-05471.

The operative pleading is a Second Amended Complaint filed September 17, 2026. It pleads two causes of action against all defendants: a claim under New York Civil Rights Law §§ 50 and 51 for the use of the plaintiff's likeness in promotional content without written consent, and a claim in negligence concerning crowd conditions at the event. It seeks compensatory damages for physical injury and emotional distress in an amount to be determined at trial and stated to exceed $75,000, damages measured by the value of the commercial use, exemplary damages as permitted by § 51, an injunction against further use of the plaintiff's likeness, and costs.

Earlier reports by TMZ, theJasmineBRAND and others described the original complaint as seeking $330,000. That figure describes the June 2026 filing, not the operative pleading.

What the defendants say

Both Night Media, Inc. and Kai Cenat LLC (New York) filed answers to the First Amended Complaint in August 2026. Each denies the substantive allegations. Night Media pleads, among other defenses, that it is not a proper defendant because it did not organize, promote, control, staff or direct the event and did not publish or control any video. Kai Cenat LLC (New York) admits that it is a New York limited liability company and denies the remaining allegations, including any connection to the Streamer University website.

Kai Cenat LLC (Georgia) was added by the Second Amended Complaint and has not yet been served or appeared.

Night Media is represented by Nixon Peabody LLP. Kai Cenat LLC (New York) is represented by Harwood Lloyd, LLP.

Where the case stands

The case was opened before Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain, who granted the plaintiff leave to proceed without paying the filing fee. It is assigned to District Judge Dale E. Ho, with general pretrial matters referred to Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger.

The plaintiff filed a motion for partial summary judgment in September 2026, directed to a single defense rather than to liability as a whole. Opposition papers are due under the Court's pro se practices approximately thirty days after service. An initial pretrial conference before Magistrate Judge Lehrburger is scheduled for October 6, 2026; the defendants have asked that it be adjourned, and the plaintiff has opposed the adjournment. No ruling on either matter has issued as of publication.

The event

Streamer University is Kai Cenat's creator program, first held in 2025 at the University of Akron. The 2026 season held in-person auditions in New York on June 12, 2026 and ran July 15–20, 2026 at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. The New York auditions were free and drew a crowd large enough that some attendees camped overnight, according to contemporaneous reports.

What has not been decided

Nothing on the merits. An allegation in a complaint is an allegation, and a denial in an answer is a denial. A grant of leave to proceed without the fee addresses ability to pay, not whether a claim is good. No defendant has been found liable for anything, and no motion has been decided.