FORT LAUDERDALE — A Florida strip club is being sued by two models who claim that their images were used for promotion purposes without their consent or permission.
Models Lucy Pinder and Arabella Drummond claim in the Oct. 31 lawsuit that Stan Inc., which owns The Playhouse Gentleman's Club, used their images on promotional materials. The woman have filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Division. They are asking for damages and attorneys' fees.
According to the suit, Pinder became aware in July 2015 that the The Playhouse Gentleman's Club used "stolen images" of her for its Facebook page in order to advertise a "Pre 4th of July Bash" event and to invite the public to visit its strip club. Attorneys for Pinder also allege that her image was used to advertise the club's alcohol specials, as well as its Facebook and Twitter pages. Pinder claims that she never gave permission to the club to use her image. Furthermore, by using her image, the club "intentionally [gave] the impression that Pinder is either a stripper working at the strip club or that she endorses the strip club."
Drummond claims that she became aware that her images were being used by the club in February 2015. According to the filing, the club used her image on its Facebook page as part of its advertising efforts to promote the club's "Wicked Wednesday" events, "insinuating that Drummond is a stripper working at Playhouse." The filing also claims that Drummond's image was also used to "advertise $5 well drinks, $5 table dances, and $5 selected menu items." The complaint adds that the image was used once again on the club's Instagram in October 2015.
Both women say they are not strippers at the club nor did they sign any consent forms for use of their images. Furthermore, the women, who work as professional models and actresses, say the use of their images is damaging to their professional careers.
The lawsuit says, "In the end, Defendant gained an economic windfall by using the images of professional and successful models for Defendant’s own commercial purposes, luring and enticing patrons worldwide to view the images and visit Defendant’s strip club, without having to compensate Plaintiffs a single penny for such usage. Plaintiffs, however, sustained injury to their images, brand and marketability by shear affiliation with Defendant’s strip club."