A settlement was reached in a lawsuit filed by a vitamin maker against a brand integration firm after actress Reese Witherspoon backed out of performing in a film in which she was scheduled to showcase one of the plaintiff’s products.
Attorneys for Natrol Inc. and Brand-in Entertainment LLC notified Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Susan Bryant-Deason on Monday that a resolution of all issues had been reached.
No terms were divulged, but attorneys for Natrol stated in their court papers that settlement talks began early in the case due to “the relatively modest amount at issue.”
The key settlement terms were reached in April, according to the Natrol attorneys’ court papers..
According to the lawsuit filed in March 2014, Natrol put up $180,000 in 2011 so that Witherspoon’s character would display the company’s product in the movie as her favorite brand of vitamins and one that helped her sleep.
The lawsuit did not identify the title of this film, but earlier published reports stated that it may have been the movie “Rule #1.”
The 39-year-old Witherspoon was not a defendant in the lawsuit, which stated that company representatives learned of her departure from the movie in June 2013. Natrol maintained the contract entitled them to a refund of money as a result. The company received part of the money owed, but was still due at least $100,000, the suit stated.
