Model Bella Hadid Slapped With Federal Lawsuit Over Instagram Post Weeks After Balenciaga Scandal
Dec. 21 2022, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
Model Bella Hadid has been dragged to court by a photographer who accuses Gigi’s sister of using her work without paying her a dime, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, artist Robert O’Neil has filed a federal lawsuit against Bella in the Southern District of New York.
O’Neil explained he makes a living by taking photographers and then licensing his work to outlets.
“O’Neil has invested significant time and money in building [O’Neil’s] photograph portfolio,” the suit explained. He said he took a photo of Bella wearing a red bandana and a navy-blue bikini on December 4, 2019.
In addition, had obtained a copyright for the image he took in early 2020.
In court documents, he accused Bella of taking the image and posting it on her Instagram account without his permission nor did she pay him to license it.
“Without permission or authorization from [O’Neil], [Hadid] volitionally copied and/or displayed Plaintiff's copyright-protected Photograph on the Account,” the suit reads.
O’Neil said that Bella received a “financial benefit” by using his work in that it helped increase traffic to her Instagram account — which is a platform where she makes money.
O’Neil’s lawsuit demanded the court find that Hadid infringed on his copyright by posting the photo onto her Instagram account. The photographer also wants unspecified damages from Hadid and an order prohibiting the model from infringing on his work in the future.
Hadid has yet to respond to the lawsuit.
Hadid’s sister Gigi dealt with a similar lawsuit in 2019. A photography company called Xclusive-Lee Inc. accused Gigi of using their work on her Instagram without permission.
The company was upset and argued their photos were worth nothing after Gigi posted them to her 43 million followers.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
The suit said Gigi had faced previous litigation over the use of photos on Instagram.
“Prior to October 12, 2018, Hadid had first-hand knowledge that copying and posting photographs, of herself or other subject matters, to her Instagram or other social media accounts that she did not properly license or otherwise receive permission from the copyright holder constituted copyright infringement,” the suit alleged.
The case with Xclusive-Lee Inc ended up being settled out of court.
