Katherine Heigl sues pharmacy chain Duane Reade ... for a tweet!
(Yahoo!) - Katherine Heigl is shopping mad.
The "Grey's Anatomy" alum is suing pharmacy chain Duane Reade for upwards of $6 million for posting a paparazzi photo of her leaving one of its Manhattan stores on the business's Twitter and Facebook pages earlier this year.
In court papers filed on Wednesday and obtained by "The Insider With Yahoo," Heigl's legal team argues that the company "misused and misappropriated the photograph," which was taken from the website Just Jared and posted to Twitter on March 18, "for its own commercial advertising, distributing the photo with Duane Reade's own promotional slogans … without Ms. Heigl's knowledge or approval." The retailer then "ignored a written demand that it stop this unlawful activity," which Heigl's lawyers say was sent on March 19, "and brazenly continues to exploit Ms. Heigl's image for commercial gain, despite her strenuous objection."
The lawsuit describes Heigl, who has been paid to endorse products like pharmacy offering ZzzQuil and the e-cigarette Smokestik, as a "highly successful television and motion picture actress, producer and celebrity," listing her movie credits — including "Knocked Up" and "27 Dresses" — and stating that her films have "grossed over one billion dollars worldwide." It also talks about how she won an Emmy for her role on "Grey's Anatomy." Because of that, her image enjoys "wide-spread recognition and monetary value," according to the suit, but she is "highly selective and well compensated" when she allows it to be used.
Heigl is seeking "not less than $6 million in compensatory and punitive or treble damages," which she intends to donate to her animal charity, the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, named after her late brother.
A jury trial was requested.
Here is the offending photo from the Duane Reade account, which has 2 million followers:
Love a quick #DuaneReade run? Even @KatieHeigl can’t resist shopping #NYC's favorite drugstore http://t.co/l4Ge1lEKL9 pic.twitter.com/uGTc3k1Mii
— Duane Reade (@DuaneReade) March 18, 2014
Heigl, who lives in Utah with her family, soared to fame playing the lovable Dr. Izzie Stevens on "Grey's Anatomy," but since her departure from the show in 2010 — which was amid a public dispute with producers — she has made headlines for off-camera antics. In September, The Hollywood Reporter ran a story about how her alleged "exceptionally difficult behavior" and "demands" have hampered her film career with one producer saying, "She's not worth it."
However, the blonde landed a new pilot for NBC called "State Of Affairs" in which she'll play a "key CIA attaché who counsels the president on high-stakes incidents around the world." And her press hasn't been all bad. In February, Heigl and her charity helped place a puppy brought back 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.
Photo Credit Getty Images
