Ex-bikini model’s suit over ‘Couple’s Retreat’ photo gets tossed by NYC court
By APFriday, July 9, 2010
NY court tosses suit over ‘Couple’s Retreat’ photo
NEW YORK — A former model might not like what the movie “Couple’s Retreat” did with her years-old bikini photo, but a court says the comedy’s distributors have no legal exposure.
Irina Krupnik’s lawyer said Friday she was considering appealing a Manhattan judge’s decision to dismiss her $10 million defamation lawsuit against NBC Universal Inc.
The judge noted last month that Krupnik signed a document waiving her rights to control the picture when it was taken in 2001. A stock agency eventually sold it to the makers of “Couple’s Retreat.”
A character in the 2009 movie deploys the photo as a sexual aid. Krupnik argued she never imagined such a use when she signed the photo release.
NBC Universal declined to comment.
Tags: Arts And Entertainment, Defamation, Movies, New York, North America, United States