Sunday, May 17, 2009

The "Jewishest lawsuit?"

American Apparel CEO Dov Gharney is facing a $10 million lawsuit by actor-director Woody Allen (Richard Arless Jr. Canwest News Service)
Woody Allen, American Apparel lawsuit fodder for New York tabloids
Mike King, Canwest News Service
Published: Sunday, May 17, 2009

MONTREAL -- A lawsuit pitting well-known Montrealer Dov Charney against Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Woody Allen is scheduled to kick off Monday in a Manhattan courtroom.
Charney, the founder and chief executive officer of American Apparel Inc., is defending himself against a $10 million lawsuit Allen launched in March 2008 over use of a frame from his Academy-Award-winning 1977 movie Annie Hall on billboards in New York and Los Angeles and the clothing company's website two years ago.
The suit alleges the frame of Allen shown dressed as a Hasidic rabbi falsely implied he sponsored, endorsed or was associated with American Apparel and accuses the company of "misappropriation and commercial use of Allen's image."
In a deposition filed by Allen's agent, John Burnham of International Creative Management (ICM) in California, the actor/screenwriter/film director with three Oscars is called one of five or 10 "iconic" figures in American cinema along with Clint Eastwood, Charlie Chaplin and Frank Sinatra.
Charney's lawyer, Stuart Slotnick says he will be demanding records showing whether Allen's highly publicized custody battle involving ex-girlfriend Mia Farrow and her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn (Woody's current wife) had affected his earnings.
The New York tabloids are pre-billing it the "Jewishest lawsuit" New York City has ever seen, pitting the high-profile Allen against Charney.
Slotnick told the Montreal Gazette he will argue that Charney's use of Allen's image was "an intellectual statement and not meant to be commercial in nature, or for advertising."
Charney hasn't spoken to reporters about the Allen case, but did make a statement to the media via a May 6 post on DovCharney.com and American Apparel's website.
"The billboards and images from the Annie Hall movie were intended to be a parody/social statement and comedic satire to provoke discussion and public discourse about the baseless claims that had been made against American Apparel and myself, society's reaction to lawsuits that delve into an individual's private sexual life and the media's sensationalism of such matters," he wrote.
Contrary to media reports, Charney said his lawyers have no intention of calling Farrow to testify.

Montreal Gazette

1 Comments:

Blogger The Mad Bomber said...

Clare:

Did you ever see this one? I don't recall ever sending it to you myself, but that's not to say it didn't happen.

http://policyfrog.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/mmf-guilty-of-grandstanding/

7:37 AM  

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