Fiji Water girl, the unlikely break-out star of the Golden Globes, is suing the brand for her involvement in an "unauthorised" campaign.
Model Kelleth Cuthbert, real name Kelleth Steinbach, has initiated legal action against Fiji Water Company and The Wonderful Company claiming it created a marketing campaign using her image without her permission.
At last month’s Golden Globes, Cuthbert made international headlines after she photobombed celebrities like Jamie Lee Curtis and Jim Carrey on the red carpet while working as a promotional model for Fiji Water.
To capatilise on the buzz surrounding the Golden Globes, the brand rolled out an in-store campaign using her image in a cardboard cutout posted in American supermarkets. The model claims the brand approached her to approve the campaign, but she declined to take part.
So the Fiji water people did this to my neighborhood grocery store. pic.twitter.com/0DsmfXMwUq
— Travon (@Travon) January 11, 2019
She also alleges Fiji Water tried to offer her “gifts to entice” her to sign away the rights to her image and “pressured” her to become an ambassador.
In a statement to The Blast, Fiji Water called the law suit “frivolous”.
“This lawsuit is frivolous and entirely without merit. After the Golden Globes social media moment, we negotiated a generous agreement with Ms. Cuthbert that she blatantly violated," a spokesperson said.
“We are confident that we will prevail in court. Throughout our history, we have had a sterling reputation working with talent.”
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