Have you heard about this ridiculous Lindsay Lohan lawsuit? (In case you haven’t, it’s below at number one.) It’s a bit silly, at least in my non-lawyerly opinion. But there’s a long line of litigious luminaries who paved the way for Lindsay, so who knows? Maybe her case has a shot.
1. Lindsay Lohan vs. E*Trade: If you watched the Super Bowl and all of its commercials, you probably remember the E-Trade babies. One baby accuses her “boyfriend” of having that “milk-a-holic, Lindsay,” over. Lohan decided E*Trade was using her name without her permission, claiming she has the same kind of single-name recognition as Madonna or Cher. Lohan also alleged that saying the baby was a “milk-a-holic” was making light of her personal issues with alcohol and drugs. Everything is still pending, but my guess is that she’s going to lose this one. I saw the commercial and I never made the connection between the infant and the actress with infantile behavior. Did you? Here’s the commercial in question.
2. Dustin Hoffman vs. Los Angeles magazine: Back in 1999, Hoffman didn’t really appreciate the fact that the magazine Photoshopped a picture of him in a spangled dress from Tootsie—a movie in which he dresses as a woman—and put him in a different gown and heels. He demanded $5 million and ended up winning $3 million.
3. Vanna White vs. Samsung Electronics: Samsung ran an ad in the late ’80s depicting a blonde robot in an evening dress turning letters on a game show. Apparently it hit a little too close to home for Ms. White; she sued and won, but the judge’s ruling for Vanna has been highly criticized ever since.
4. 50 Cent vs. Taco Bell: Don’t expect Curtis Jackson to make a run for the border anytime soon. In 2008, 50 sued Taco Bell because of an ad campaign in which the company jokingly beseeched the rapper to change his name to 99 Cent to promote their 99-cent menu. Fiddy wasn’t amused, especially after his fans started mocking him for selling out to Taco Bell, and he sued them for using his name without his permission. Taco Bell countersued for $4 million. They ended up settling out of court last year.
5. Ron Livingston vs. Anonymous Wikipedia User: Just a few months ago, Ron Livingston was apparently perusing Wikipedia when he happened to notice that the entry under his name called him “A Gay.” Since Wikipedia is powered by anonymous users who can edit at will, it’s pretty hard to actually sue anyone. The lawsuit names “John Doe.” But it must be scaring someone away, because there is currently no mention of him being “A Gay” on Wikipedia right now.
