Lady Gaga fighting plagiarism case in New York
Lady Gaga is fighting a multi-million dollar plagiarism lawsuit in her native New York two years after it was filed in France.
French artist Orlan filed legal papers in Paris in 2013 accusing the pop star of stealing ideas for her Born This Way video, and she is seeking a payout of around $31.7 million.
She claims Gaga modelled her bizarre look in the video, in which
she sports strange lumps on her face, on Orlan's work as she has
been using facial implants for performance art pieces for
years.
The suit has now come to Gaga's hometown after the artist's lawyers
filed papers at a court in Manhattan on Wednesday (06Jan16) to
request subpoenas for members of the singer's creative teamed who
worked on the video and the single's cover art.
The list includes make-up artist Billy Brasfield and Gaga's former
stylist Nicola Formichetti, according to the New York Post.
Peter Stern and Alan Sash of Orlan's law firm McLaughlin & Stern
say, "Orlan's unique artwork should be protected. We hope that
questioning members of Lady Gaga's creative team will aid the
French court in deciding the case."
A representative for Gaga says, "This is nothing but an attempt by
the plaintiff to generate U.S. press coverage around a meritless
case that was filed in France several years ago."