Popular blogger and web series Budget Barbie’s star Ang Chiew Ting has been in the news for quite a while now.
Perhaps you might know her as Bong Qiu Qiu instead, the woman who is now crowdfunding for her legal fees.
The influencer is currently in the midst of being sued by her ex-agency’s media advertising network, ChurpChurp, for allegedly breaching her contract.
However, Ang stood her ground and denied the claims, counter-suing the company for failing to promote her according to her contract.
The blogger is still in the midst of the lawsuit with ChurpChurp, and it looks like the lawsuit is bleeding her dry. She is now appealing to fans and readers to help her fight against her ex-management company via a crowdfunding campaign for her legal fees.
The campaign has so far gotten $11,495 (at the time of writing) in donations since she put up the post last night.
Appealing For A Helping Hand
On a blog post published yesterday, the influencer earnestly shared her side of her story. Simultaneously, she also assured that any money donated would not be used for personal expenses, but only for her legal fees.
She revealed that the lawsuit would cost a total of $200,000 to $250,000, and that she has already used up a large sum of her savings just on legal consultation. Even though she is still able to make a living promoting brands, her income is simply not enough to cover all expenses.
She also defended herself against naysayers who had questions about why she was still living in a landed property in spite of her plight.
“After we rent out our Punggol HDB and stop the rental of the studio office, of which Josh needs for his business, and shift into this place we manage to rent at a cheap enough price with ample space for work + living, our overheads become $2400. We cut cost of about $600 per month by shifting here and combining work + living space, and renting out our HDB,” she says in the post.
In her lengthy post, the mother of one expressed difficulties she is currently facing with the lawsuit, including depression and complications with her second pregnancy.
Ang also informed that despite her close friends and family offering money to help, she insisted on not accepting it as they would be sacrificing their livelihood by doing so.
Hence, she came to the decision to set up a crowdfunding campaign for her legal fees.
She added that any leftover money would go to the Community Chest to help their beneficiaries.
Breach Of Contract
If you’re not sure what the whole ordeal is about, let me fill you in.
According to TODAY’s report, the company claimed that the 29-year-old entered into commercial agreements with brands, including Yves Saint Laurent and Etude House, that weren’t part of her signed contract. In response, the blogger voiced out that it was not a breach as she had entered into those deals only after she was no longer bound under contract with the company.
Ang’s contract as stated by ChurpChurp, allows the company to exclusively manage, negotiate and enter into all commercial, advertising and promotional transactions offered by third parties on her behalf.
Hence, due to the commercial agreements not made with ChurpChurp’s knowledge, the company is claiming that it has suffered losses and damages by losing out on fees. Fees they would have otherwise received, had they negotiated with those brands on her behalf as per the contract.
Ang responded by countersuing ChurpChurp on grounds that the company was the one to breach the agreement by failing to promote her website and platforms, resulting in her incurring losses.
She is also charging them for defamation due to an online article posted by the company on August 11. It was in this article that the company claimed that she had breached their agreement.
In an earlier blog post dated 13 September 2016, Ang claimed that she had dutifully completed her responsibilities with ChurpChurp. She further asserted that she had morals that she lives by, and that a signed contract is something that she would honour.
Readers, Fellow Bloggers Respond
Despite going through a tough lawsuit, Ang has managed to garner much emotional support from her readers and fellow bloggers.
Two of Ang’s blogger friends posted on their own Instagram accounts pledging their support and pride in her fighting back. In addition they have also urged their own followers to help in her crowdfunding campaign.
Ang’s fans and readers have also posted words of encouragement to the blogger on her Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Lawsuits normally take a long time to settle, no doubt in cases such as Ang’s.
While we are unable to gauge what really happened between both parties, legal fees are definitely a pain to deal with. Ang reaching out to the readers she has, over the years, endeared herself to, is definitely a wise move on her part.
Feature Image Credit: Ang’s blog