Lisa Rinna Settles $1.2 Million Legal War With Paparazzi Agency Over Instagram Pics!
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, Lisa Rinna, has reached a deal with a paparazzi agency that was suing her for $1.5 million in damages. The reality star and the Hollywood agency quietly settled their legal beef, avoiding a messy public trial.
Radar Online reports that an attorney repping the agency recently told the court—“The parties have agreed to settle this case with a full and final release of all claims and parties.”
The case will be officially closed on a date no later than July 15.
As reported in July 2021—Rinna was accused of allegedly swiping paparazzi snaps of herself and sharing them with her social media followers. Legal documents alleged that the Bravo star posted at least eight images that she supposedly pilfered from the paps. Backgrid claimed 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 also pointed out that Rinna uses her 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 claimed that they had “suffered substantial economic damage” because of the RHOBH star’s actions.
In September 2021, 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 were precluded by the plaintiff’s fraudulent conduct.
The judge issued a July 12, 2022 trial start date, last November.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Wednesdays at 8 pm, ET, on Bravo.
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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.