A fashion model whose sexually suggestive image appeared on t-shirts sold by hip retailers is suing the photographer for $28 million. A key element in the claim of damages was the model’s age—15—at the time of the shoot.
Hailey Clauson, whose modeling career has brought her to New York and Paris, maintains that the “salacious” image damaged her reputation and could be in violation of kiddie-porn laws.
In the photograph, the willowy underage blond sits back astride a motorcycle in what court papers call a "spread eagle position." Jason Lee Parry, the photographer named in the suit, is accused of making Clauson’s "crotch area the focal point of the image." He is also alleged to have included in the image "what some observers believe to be pubic hair."
The suit further states that Parry, whose specialty is topless photos, agreed never to release the image after Clauson's then-agent from Ford Models complained. However, the picture has since appeared in the German magazine “Qvest.”
Finally, the suit accuses Parry of striking a deal with a Los Angeles boutique called Blood Is the New Black to sell t-shirts featuring the image, along with another of Clauson holding part of a six-pack of beer.
According to the papers filed in Manhattan federal court, the portrayal has resulted in Clauson’s becoming "the object of prurient interests and provides wallpaper for the likes of pedophiles."
For his part, Parry, 32, argues that the girl's parents were present during the March 2010 photo shoot and gave him permission to publish the pictures.
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