New York City Catcall Video Actress Files $500K Lawsuit Against the Video's Producer, Hollaback! Advocacy Group
After enduring 10 hours of catcalls in a YouTube video that brought her global attention, aspiring actress Shoshana Roberts is suing the people and companies responsible for her fame.
The 25-year-old actress became an Internet sensation last year when she used a hidden camera to film herself walking around New York City.
In the video, titled "Ten Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman," Roberts was subjected to 108 catcalls over the course of 10 hours, reports The New York Post. The video, which was produced by Robert Bliss and the nonprofit anti-harassment group Hollaback!, quickly went viral and has since attracted more than 40 million views.
Despite receiving international press and publicity, the NYC-based actress filed a $500,000 lawsuit against Bliss, Hollaback!, YouTube, Google and TGI Friday's, which parodied the video in an ad.
According to the suit, the defendants failed to get Roberts' signed permission to air the video before they used it to sell advertising. The suit also argues that the defendants violated her civil rights by creating and airing videos containing her "creative content, performance, image, likeness and persona for the purposes of advertising or trade without her prior written consent," reports The New York Daily News.
The three-page document also cites fraud, unjust enrichment, and violation of publicity and privacy rights.
The actress says that after she answered a Craigslist casting call to film herself being harassed by an assortment of men, she earned only $200.
Back in May, Roberts expressed her frustrations with doing a video that has brought her little income and lots of death threats. She told The Village Voice, "It's frustrating when the nonprofit gets donations, and the director gets ad revenue, and I get people wanting to slit my throat."
Hollaback! has yet to issue a statement regarding the lawsuit.
Watch the YouTube video below.
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