‘Romeo and Juliet’ stars sue studio for distributing nude photos of minors

A year ago, Romeo and Juliet stars Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting filed a lawsuit against the film studio Paramount. 55 years after the film was made. The accusation: sexual exploitation.

A judge dismissed her original lawsuit. Now the actors, who are both in their 70s, have resumed their lawsuit. This time due to a new release of the film from Criterion.

Hussey and Whiting have renewed their Romeo and Juliet lawsuit against Paramount (and this time Criterion). This is because Criterion – an American company that distributes DVDs – re-released the film. It concerns the unlawful distribution of nude photos of the stars from Criterion’s release of Franco Zeffirelli’s romantic film.

This lawsuit focuses on the same images that were the subject of the original lawsuit. It shows Hussey and Whiting naked in a bedroom as the eponymous lovers.

In the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on February 14, Hussey and Whiting claim they never agreed to the film’s distribution. They are therefore suing for unlawful distribution of intimate photos, unlawful use of the images and violation of the rights of the actors.

The actors claim that nothing in the original release agreement granted Paramount the right to remake, republish, or redistribute photographs of their work in any medium or format other than analog 35mm theatrical photographs. However, the digital version contains “digitally enhanced photographs” of Whiting and Hussey lying naked in bed together, as well as other high-resolution images.

The lawsuit states that “the digital photographs reproduce the contents of several very high-resolution analog color photographs taken in the private studio in the presence of the principal photographers when Hussey and Whiting were minors. The recordings show Hussey’s bare breasts and Whiting’s bare buttocks. Hussey was 16 years old at the time of the film’s production, while Whiting was 15.

Paramount and Criterion have not yet responded to the lawsuit.

(cmu)