Lisa Rinna, who is no stranger to controversial social media activity, got in trouble last year for an Instagram post. Back in October of 2021, Rinna was sued by a celebrity photo agency for using their pics of her on her Instagram account. The company, Backgrid, alleged in court docs that Lisa “violated federal law by willfully infringing Backgrid’s copyrights to at least eight photographs.” The photos in question featured the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star and her daughters, which she posted for her 3 million followers to see. Backgrid argued that Lisa hurt their chances of selling the photos and sued her for $1.2 million.
Radar Online is now reporting that Rinna and Backgrid have reached a settlement. This will allow both parties to avoid a public trial, which was scheduled for July. A lawyer for Backgrid told the court, “The parties have agreed to settle this case with a full and final release of all claims and parties.”
The federal lawsuit against Rinna was over 8 photos owned by Backgrid. She reposted them to her IG account without permission. The company owns the rights to the images she shared. Backgrid’s suit also revealed that Lisa ignored a cease and desist letter they sent her in February of 2021.
Rinna also used the pictures to sell her beauty line and promote RHOBH. Backgrid argued to the court that, “each posted photograph elicits thousands, and frequently, hundreds of thousands of comments from fans. Moreover, the account is not private, so anyone, including those who do not ‘follow’ her account, has access and can view the uploaded photographs, including the photographs at issue in this lawsuit.”
For her defense, Rinna argued that the alleged damages by Backgrid were precluded by its own fraudulent conduct. She previously requested that the lawsuit be dismissed from the court. The case will be officially closed by July 15.
Back in October around the time when the suit was filed, Lisa spoke out about it. She stated, “I’ve been nice, I’ve never fought with them, I’ve never run from them. My kids grew up with them jumping out of the bushes in Malibu.” She added, “I understand paying a little bit. But to pay this much, it’s very hard for me to say that’s okay. There’s something that’s not right about this. Those photos are worth much less — I mean, it’s my kids with masks on.”
TELL US – DO YOU THINK LISA SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUED FOR USING PHOTOS OF HERSELF? WHY DO YOU THINK SHE SETTLED THE CASE OUT OF COURT?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
