Orlando Magic Sued By a Fan for Using Her Photo in Ads


You’d think that an Orlando Magic fan would have much larger concerns regarding the team, but alas, this particular Magic enthusiast has filed a legal complaint against Orlando’s hoops team for allegedly profiting from her image without permission. Reports the Sentinel: “The Orlando Magic billboard featuring Kristi Slavin’s face shouted, ‘BE LOUD.’ And now she is. Slavin has sued the basketball franchise, claiming it used a photo of her face and upper body — without her permission — in a marketing campaign. The picture, taken at the Amway Center during the Magic’s 2011 playoff run, shows the fan, now 30, in a Dwight Howard jersey, her arms raised and cheering. The image appeared on light-post banners, in a tourist magazine and, enlarged, on the back of a Lynx bus. The lawsuit, filed last month by Winter Park attorney Hank Hornsby, contends the Magic profited from the commercial and promotional use of Slavin’s face and body, but the team neither compensated nor consulted her. Magic spokesman Joel Glass said the team was aware of the lawsuit, but he would not comment further. […] The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $15,000, the statutory limit for a civil claim in Circuit Court.”