Woody Allen accepts $5m settlement from American Apparel
Woody Allen says he is happy with his $5m out-of-court settlement with a trendy fashion firm.
The actor-director accepted the deal after suing American Apparel for $10m, after the fashion chain used an image of Allen dressed as a Hasidic Jew in a string of billboard adverts last year without his permission.
The CEO of American Apparel, Dov Charney, says he settled the lawsuit on Monday because of the demands of the company’s insurer.
“It’s of course possible by going through the trial a jury might have awarded me more money, but this is not how I make my living,” said Allen, 73, after settling the case.
“Five million dollars is enough to discourage American Apparel or anyone else from ever trying such a thing again.”
The settlement is the highest ever in a right to privacy case, beating the $2.1m awarded to singer Tom Waits after his voice was used in a radio advert in California.
Before agreeing to settle out of court, Charney had threatened to call Allen’s ex-wife Mia Farrow as a character witness, to argue that Allen’s reputation was already tarnished and had not been damaged by the adverts.
Source: Splash News
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