After American Apparel -- maker of gold lamé leggings, terrycloth booty shorts and other items that might be better branded as The Boogie Nights Collection -- put Woody Allen's image on a billboard, sans the director's permission, Allen sued for a cool $10 mil. So via lawyer Stuart Slotnick, American Apparel demanded the director prove he had a reputation worth damaging: "We believe that Mr. Allen's popularity has decreased significantly, especially in light of the scandals he's been associated with. We believe that he greatly overvalues the worth of his endorsement -- if he can get one." Yeeeow!
Now, a court has upheld Allen's right to retain fan mail and other documentation that he's popular. Per the judge, "There is no reason to require Allen to produce documents regarding each of his personal appearances and performances during his lengthy career. This information would not provide meaningful evidence of the value of defendant's endorsement."
Hard to believe that a Dov Charney enterprise wanted to duke it out over reputation, given the CEO's multiple sexual harassment suits and pervy quote-machine tendencies -- in his words, "I'll frequently drop my pants to show people my new product." Right.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
