A skin cream company denies using doctored before-and-after photos of Goodfellas star Ray Liotta without authorization in an online ad campaign and blames its “brand partners” for posting the images, according to documents filed in federal court on June 13.
Liotta sued Nerium International in March, alleging that the Texas company doctored his image for an ad campaign to market NeriumAD skin cream on Facebook, Twitter, Google, and other social network sites.
In its answer to the lawsuit, Nerium contends that several of its partners posted pictures on various sites, “with text that mistakenly referred to the pictures depicting Ray Liotta,” and adds that the company “did not make or authorize” the uploads.
Nerium claims in its ads that its “age-defying” cream uses an oleander plant extract to improve the appearance of blemished skin.
“Nerium uses `before and after’ photos with fabricated results to fraudulently induce consumers to purchase NeriumAD skin cream and to entice them to become Nerium partners,” Liotta’s complaint states.
The suit, which contends Nerium violated Liotta’s privacy rights, seeks compensatory and punitive damages and an injunction against the company.
