Meth ad results in lawsuit by models

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Meth ad results in lawsuit by models
UPI
3.22.09



NEW YORK, March 22 (UPI) -- A pair of professional models filed suit in federal court in New York, claiming an anti-methamphetamine ad defamed them.

The models -- a woman and a 7-year-old girl -- said in the suit filed last week the ad made it appear the little girl's front teeth were missing because of neglect or abuse by a meth-addicted mother, Courthouse News Service reported.

"That the image of plaintiff child used by defendants highlights her lack of front teeth and would be reasonable construed by those with a knowledge of methamphetamine abuse as a photograph accurately depicting the malady known as 'meth mouth' or in the alternative as set forth herein, a result of child abuse or neglect," the suit says.

The suit was filed against 16 defendants, including the Office of National Drug Control Policy and DraftFCB.

The New York Post reported the value of the suit at $90 million.

The advertisement indicates the woman in the ad is a mother whose attempt to lose weight resulted in a life-altering methamphetamine addiction. The girl is pictured without her two front teeth.

"She abandoned her family, including her 4-year-old daughter, for nearly a year in search of her next high," the advertisement reads.

The suit alleges the featured photograph was from a 2007 shoot of the plaintiffs that had been manipulated for the campaign.

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Comments on the article http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_Ne...wsuit_by_models/UPI-70031237753899/#comments:

"We are the attorneys representing the plaintiffs who are NOT a mother daughter team. The 6 year old and adult model are falsely portrayed as such. The adult is falsely portrayed as a meth addict, child abuser who neglected her child. The child is missing her front teeth and the copy of the ad leads the reader to the conclusion that the teeth are missing because "mom" has punched them out or neglected or abandoned her child or that the child suffers from "meth mouth" which causes meth users to loose their front teeth. The ad was composed without the consent of either model or the child's mother. The release for the ad prohibits defamatory uses. The pictures was manipulated, altered, cropped and Photoshopped from an unrelated, totally wholesome photo session where the models did consent to their use. The case sounds in libel and failure to obtain written consent under the NY Civil Rights Law."

"The ad ran in 63 newspapers, over a dozen magazines, numerous websites and brochures. NOT as the story implies a single national newspaper. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The Judge is J. Rakoff and the case number is 09 CIV 2153. For those interested in accuracy the complaint is a public record."
 
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