Bella Hadid Dragged to Federal Court Over Instagram Post Weeks After Breakup
Aug. 3 2023, Published 5:30 a.m. ET
Bella Hadid has been hit with a federal lawsuit demanding she pay damages over a social media post, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, a company called Chosen Figure LLC sued the model in New York.
The lawsuit said Chosen Figure is a company that represents a “professional photographer”. The artist said they have spent “significant time and money in building” their photograph portfolio.
The photographer snapped a photo of Bella outside an apartment on August 12, 2020. The photo was registered with the copyright office.
In the suit, the photographer accused Hadid of taking their photo and posting it on her Instagram without permission or paying a licensing fee.
The artist claimed Hadid “received a financial benefit directly” from using the photo and prevented them from profiting off the photos.
“Plaintiff has not licensed Defendant the right to use the Photograph in any manner, nor has Plaintiff assigned any of its exclusive rights in the copyrights to Defendant,” the suit read.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and all profits Hadid made off the photo. In addition, the photographer asked for an injunction prohibiting the model from using their work in the future.
Hadid has yet to respond.
As RadarOnline.com first reported, back in December, Hadid was sued by a separate photographer named Robert O’Neil over similar claims.
O’Neil explained he makes a living by taking photographers and then licensing his work to outlets.
In his suit, O’Neil claimed he photographed Hadid wearing a red bandana and a navy-blue bikini on December 4, 2019. The man also accused Hadid of publishing his work on her Instagram without permission or paying him a dime.
“Without permission or authorization from [O’Neil], [Hadid] volitionally copied and/or displayed Plaintiff's copyright-protected Photograph on the Account,” the suit reads.
Hadid’s sister Gigi faced her own lawsuit over her social media posts.
As we previously reported, Gigi was sued by a paparazzi company that accused her of using their photos improperly.
The company argued the photos in question were worth nothing after Gigi posted them to her 43 million followers.
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As we previously reported, on top of the lawsuit, Hadid recently split with her longtime boyfriend Marc Kalman after 2 years together.
"They were very in love, but the relationship ultimately ran its course and they decided to end things," a source told Entertainment Tonight. "Bella is a very nice person, but struggles with the pressures of fame. She has been trying to take care of herself since their split."
