Donald Trump Jr’s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle is being accused of ripping off an artist by profiting off his work.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, a photographer named Jason Donnelly is suing Guilfoyle for copyright infringement.
The Federal lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of New York. The suit explains Donnelly took a photo of, “political analyst and television news personality Kimberly Guilfoyle as she entered to speak at a luncheon at the Police Athletic League.”
Donnelly accuses Trump Jr’s girlfriend of taking the photo he took and plastering it on her Instagram.
The lawsuit reads, “Donnelly is the author of the Photograph and has at all times been the sole owner of all right, title and interest in and to the Photograph, including the copyright thereto.”
He accuses Trump Jr’s girlfriend of using the photo “to promote her brand.” He points out she has 602,000 Instagram followers and the post received over 18,000 likes. The problem being, “Defendant did not license the Photograph from Plaintiff for its Website, nor did Defendant have Plaintiff’s permission or consent to publish the Photograph on its Website.”
The lawsuit is seeking in excess of $150,000 per infringement along with a court order forcing Guilfoyle to hand over all “profits, income, receipts or other benefits derived by Defendant as a result of its unlawful conduct.”
Donnelly believes he is entitled to “punitive damages” and attorney fees.
As The Blast previously reported, Guilfoyle isn’t the first well-known person to be sued over an Instagram post. Recently, Jennifer Lopez was hit with a $150,000 lawsuit over similar claims. A photo agency accuses her of using their work without permission and profiting off the work. Lopez has yet to respond to the lawsuit in court. Bella and GiGi Hadid have battled photographers in court in the past.
