Lisa Rinna Headed To Trial In $1.5M Lawsuit Over Instagram Posts!
The lawsuit filed against “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, Lisa Rinna, over alleged copyright violations is moving forward. Rinna has been accused of posting photos of herself snapped by an agency that is now demanding $1.5 million in damages. A judge has issued a trial start date—July 12, 2022. The trial is expected to last about two to three days, and Rinna will likely appear in person at the courthouse.
As reported in July—the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star was hit by a lawsuit for allegedly swiping paparazzi snaps of herself and sharing them with her social media followers. Legal documents allege that the Bravo star posted at least eight photos that she supposedly pilfered from the paps. Backgrid claims that Rinna infringed on copyrighted material and that the company owns the photos posted on the Bravo star’s account.
The company added that the reality star not only shared the pics but “contributed to the reproduction, distribution and public display” when she prompted her 2.7 million Instagram followers to share the images. The agency noted that Rinna is a popular personality and that her IG shares are often viewed by hundreds of thousands of people. The company pointed out that Rinna also uses the account to peddle her beauty products and to promote her two daughters’ modeling careers, along with the Bravo reality show.
The company argued 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.”
“Rinna has driven significant traffic to her Instagram account in large part due to the presence of the sought after and searched- for Rinna Photographs that frame this dispute. All of this traffic translates into substantial ill-gotten commercial advantage and brand awareness as a direct consequence of their infringing actions,” the agency added.
Backgrid was unable to resolve their beef with the reality star, despite the company sending Rinna a legal letter outlining their concerns. They alleged that they had “suffered substantial economic damage” because of the RHOBH star’s actions.
In September, Rinna accused the paparazzi agency of shaking her down for $1.2 million and demanded that the court toss the case.
The Bravo star denied all claims of wrongdoing and alleged that the company had been “wrongfully setting up” celebrities by snapping shots and immediately copyrighting the pics, in order to boost income amid the Covid pandemic. The reality star claimed that all damage claims are precluded by the plaintiff’s fraudulent conduct.
Rinna’s demand came after news broke that she will be deposed by the lawyer investigating her co-star, Erika Jayne, who is embroiled in an embezzlement lawsuit alongside her estranged husband, Tom Girardi. Attorney, Ronald Richards, explained in an interview that he singled Rinna out from the cast because the actress had gone to “extreme” measures to defend her co-star. Richards also described Rinna’s decision to refer Erika to her business manager as “unusual.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is currently in production for Season 12.
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Avigail is an Entertainment blogger at All About The Tea, who specializes in The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac. Avigail has a background in marketing. She’s a Brooklynite living in the Bahamas, with a passion for travel, writing, reality TV watching, pop culture and spoken word.