Tanner v. Ebbole
Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama
88 So.3d 856 (2011)
Relevant factsFree
Averette (defendant) obtained a plaster body cast of competing tattoo artist Ebbole (plaintiff), decorated it with satanic symbols, displayed it in his shop, and routinely told customers -- including one specifically -- that the unrecognizable mannequin was Ebbole's own body cast used to "set spells on her"; a jury awarded Ebbole $1 in compensatory and $300,000 in punitive damages.
IssueFree
Whether appropriating an element of someone's personality for a commercial use suffices to establish invasion of privacy.