Although it's been almost two years since it was announced, Lindsay Lohan's lawsuit against Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive is going to court.
As we reported back in 2013, Lohan claims that Rockstar and Take-Two used her likeness in Grand Theft Auto V without her permission. Many believed that Lohan's suit would be thrown as the character she claims is based on her - Lacey Jonas - is a parody of both her and other LA-based celebrities.
However, the New York Supreme Court dismissed these claims and has allowed the case to proceed to trial. This isn't the first time Lohan's taken a lawsuit out over someone trying to profit off her. Lohan unsuccessfully sued Pitbull for a lyric in one his songs, claiming it caused her emotional distress.
What's more, there's been other lawsuits taken for using likenesses in videogames. The most famous of these is Manual Noriega, the former dictator of Panama, who brought a case against ActiVision for using his likeness in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The game featured Noriega as a non-playable character and even used a voice-artist to mimic his voice. Noriega, who's currently serving 30 years for drug smuggling, murder and money laundering, believed that the game portrayed him as a "murderer, kidnapper and an enemy of the state."
The character which Lohan has a problem with is one of the Random Encounters side-quests in Grand Theft Auto V. The player has to pick up Jonas and drive her away from chasing paparazzi before deposting her back in the house. The lawsuit claims that Rockstar and Take-Two hired "a look-alike model to evoke the persona and image" for both merchandising and promotional purposes.
The case now moves forward to discovery.
Via THR
