Emily Ratajkowski ‘sued for posting Instagram photo of herself’

Photographer files lawsuit against model for copyright infringement, according to court documents

Olivia Petter
Saturday 26 October 2019 12:52 BST
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(Getty Images)

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Emily Ratajkowski is being sued for $150,000 (£116,940) by a paparazzi photographer for sharing one of his images without permission, according to court documents obtained by E! News.

Robert O’Neil has filed a lawsuit against the model in the Southern District of New York, citing copyright infringement.

The photograph in question showed Ratajkowski holding a bouquet of flowers that concealed her face while out and about in New York City.

O’Neil claims the 28-year-old shared the photograph with her 24 million followers on her Instagram Story, which has now expired, with the caption “Mood Forever”.

According to the lawsuit, he is now requesting damages and that he be reimbursed for any profits Ratajkowski gained from sharing his work.

The incident follows a spate of celebrities being sued by photographers for sharing their images without consent, including Jennifer Lopez and Gigi Hadid.

Earlier this month, Justin Bieber came under fire for allegedly sharing an image taken by Robert Barbera without permission.

The photo shows Bieber and his friend Rich Wilkerson peering out of a car while the caption reads: “Me and my guy @richwilkersonjr” with no credit to the photographer.

In the court documents, obtained by E! News, Barbera claimed that Bieber was guilty of "unauthorised reproduction and public display" of his photography and alleges that the singer did not have his consent to post the photo on Instagram, where Bieber has more than 120 million followers.

The Independent has contacted Ratajkowski for comment.

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