Gigi Hadid is reportedly being sued over a photo she posted of ex-boyfriend, singer Zayn Malik. Photographer Robert O’Neil has filed a lawsuit against the supermodel in the Southern District of New York, citing copyright infringement.
In the court documents, it’s stated, “This action arises out of Defendant’s unauthorized reproduction and public display of a copyrighted photograph of English singer and songwriter Zayn Malik, owned and registered by O’Neil, a New York based professional photographer.”
The documents also claim that Hadid “infringed” O’Neil’s copyright by “reproducing and publicly displaying” the photo of Malik on her Instagram Story. “Gigi Hadid is not, and has never been, licensed or otherwise authorized to reproduce, publically display, distribute and/or use the Photograph,” the docs state.
In order to resolve this issue, O’Neil wants 24-year-old Hadid, who has yet to comment on the lawsuit, to declare that she did infringe his copyrights by posting the photo. O’Neil is also seeking to be awarded either “actual damages and Defendant’s profits, gains or advantages of any kind attributable to Defendant’s infringement of Plaintiff’s Photograph” or “statutory damages of up to $150,000.”
