Should've gone to CVS! Katherine Heigl has filed a lawsuit against Duane Reade Inc. for $6 million, claiming the pharmacy chain used her name for advertising without permission.
The suit, filed on Wednesday, April 9, alleges that the drugstore company used her name, as well as an unauthorized paparazzi pic on its Twitter and Facebook accounts — without her consent. The images of Heigl, 35, holding Duane Reade shopping bags were taken last month near an NYC store.
"Love a quick #DuaneReade run?" the Walgreen Co. subsidiary wrote on its account March 18 alongside the pic. "Even @KatieHeigl can't resist shopping #NYC's favorite drugstore." The post, also shared via Facebook, was used to "imply falsely that Plaintiff endorses Defendant," it was written in Heigl's 15-page lawsuit.
Court documents obtained by the New York Daily News state, "use of plaintiff's image under these circumstances improperly exploited plaintiff's name and likeness, as a celebrity, for defendant's commercial advertising and purposes of trade, without authorization."
According to Reuters, Heigl's lawsuit added that she is "highly selective and well compensated" when she endorses a brand. Per TMZ, it also states in the documents that she is "a highly successful television and motion picture actress, producer and celebrity," who "continues to be in high demand in the entertainment industry."
Therefore, the suit continues, "Duane Reade is liable for not less than $6 million in compensatory and punitive or treble damages."
The star's lawyer Peter Haviland said Heigl will donate any recovered money from the lawsuit to her favorite charity, the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, which helps find homes for dogs in need.
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