Lexington strip club sued, accused of using popular models’ images without permission
A group of models from around the country — and some from other countries — have sued a Lexington strip club, accusing the business of using their photos for social media advertisements without their consent, according to court records.
Lexington Golf & Travel, which operates Platinum Dolls, was sued in federal court last week by 17 models who are asking for their photos to be removed from the club’s social media accounts, according to court records. The models accuse the club of using their images without paying them, and of damaging their reputations in the process. The models asked the court to award them damages.
Each of the models has a “substantial social media following and has appeared in numerous publications, shows, productions, or paid appearances,” according to the lawsuit.
Several of the models listed have hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, and others have more than a million followers. California models Rosa Acosta, Jessica Burciaga and Melanie Iglesias were among the models who filed the lawsuit. Models from other states, the Republic of Colombia and the United Kingdom were also named as defendants.
If the models had agreed to their images being used in the club’s social media posts, they should have been paid, the lawsuit argues.
However, the women “would not choose to advertise or promote defendant’s strip club at all, as being affiliated with defendant’s strip club can harm plaintiffs’ reputations and brands and make it more difficult for plaintiffs to obtain future work of their choosing,” according to the lawsuit.
When the lawsuit was filed Friday, the images in question were still live on the club’s social media pages, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit accuses the club of false endorsement, false advertising, violation of publicity rights, violation of privacy by appropriation, negligence and unjust enrichment.
The club “knew that it benefited from the use of plaintiffs’ images as is evident from the fact that defendant repeatedly posted plaintiffs’ images to promote and advertise,” the lawsuit argues.
Platinum Dolls is closed because of the outbreak of COVID-19, and representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 7:35 AM.
