Lindsay Lohan Is Suing Take-Two Over Her GTA V Parody Character
Lindsay Lohan has been authorized to take developer Rockstar Games and its parent company Take-Two to court, over what she claims is unauthorized use of her likeness. Specifically, the spoiled, bratty character of Lacey Jonas. See something that looked familiar, Lin?
Lindsay was trying to do this all the way back in 2014, but it took until now for the case to be approved for trial due to a motion for dismissal filed by Take-Two. In most cases, a satire is recognized as separate and the case is dropped. But not this time.
The smart thing to do would have been to just accept that parody is classified as free speech and protected under US law, but arguments like that don’t stop someone with a dead career who needs cash (just saying what we’re all thinking). The problem is that by acknowledging Lacey Jonas as Lohan-like, Lindsay is outright admitting she’s like this character — far from a flattering statement about yourself. Confirmation won’t help her public perception at all, the protection of which would be the main reason to sue in the first place.
New York State Supreme Court judge Joan Kennedy ruled on Friday to dismiss the dismissal and allow the trial to proceed. As for why, Kennedy said Take-Two’s defense that the character in the game is not specifically Lohan could not be considered “at this stage.” So….looks like it’s on. After this trial is over, look for the BBC’s new dramatization Game Changers II, starring Daniel Radcliffe as The Hotshot Developer and Tara Reid as Lindsay Lohan.
