Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino might not have a 3-digit IQ but his lawyers sure do. The “Jersey Shore” star filed a lawsuit against retailer Abercrombie & Fitch over what he claims was a publicity stunt to sell clothes using phrases associated with his name.
Sorrentino and his company, MPS Entertainment, filed yesterday in federal court in Florida. The lawsuit is based on an offer Abercrombie & Fitch publicized in August to pay cast members of the hit TV show not to wear the company’s apparel. The offer, which Sorrentino claims was false, made headlines worldwide because typically companies want celebrities to use their products for promotion, but the “Jersey Shore” cast is known for partying hard and sleeping around, apparently qualities from which A&F wanted to distance themselves.
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In August, the company said it was “deeply concerned” that Sorrentino “could cause significant damage” to its brand’s “aspirational nature.” Sorrentino, however, thinks the company had something else in mind, according to the lawsuit.
“Starting in August 2011, Defendant (the company) embarked on a grand, worldwide advertising campaign using Sorrentino’s name, image and likeness to create brand awareness for its products by falsely claiming that Defendant had offered money to Sorrentino if he would stop wearing Defendant’s goods,” the lawsuit states.
“That offer was never made to Sorrentino, nor was it ever conveyed to Sorrentino by a representative,” the suit states.
The suit claims the company “has significantly profited off of the use of its false affiliation with Sorrentino, and it has wrongly used Sorrentino’s name, image and likeness for advertising purposes in violation of applicable law.”
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The suit targeted two of the clothing retailer’s T-shirt designs featuring the phrases “The Fitchuation” and “GTL…You Know The Deal,” and claimed Abercrombie & Fitch “obviously intended to create a false association” with the “Jersey Shore” star when it released it’s statement in August.
MSNBC provides further details of the case.
Sitch wants at least $4,000,000 in damages
Image credit to DJDM / WENN.com