Sofia Vergara Sues Beauty Company For Allegedly Misusing Her Face

Actress?Sofia Vergara has filed a hefty lawsuit against a beauty company, claiming they allegedly?used her name and likeness in their advertising materials without her permission.

The Modern Family star filed the $15 million lawsuit against US?company Venus Concept, saying that the brand had repeatedly used her image in various promotional materials without her say-so over the last number of months. However, the situation is a tad out of the norm in that the star was linked to the company for a time;?ahead of the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards in August 2014,?the 43-year-old?used the Venus Legacy machine (a skin-tightening massage treatment) to get red carpet ready, and posted a WhoSay photo during the treatment.

However, according to US Weekly, this was the only time Vergara endorsed a singular product of the company, claiming afterwards that she wasn’t impressed with the product and thus didn’t agree to any further deals with the brand.

“Vergara tried the Legacy treatment, but ultimately did not like it, finding that it was a waste of time and money with little in the way of any results,” according to the lawsuit.

“She would not use it again, and certainly would not endorse it nor agree to appear in an international advertisement campaign to promote it,” and in conclusion, she “does not recommend the Venus Legacy product or services.”

The actress claims this is not her first time taking legal action to stop Venus Concepts from using her name and likeness, stating that she has made “repeated demands.”

As recent as this month, Venus Concepts allegedly?used Vergara’s face and name on the internet as well as at exhibition booths and trade shows.

The scenario is similar to?a Kardashian lawsuit last year, in which an activist against domestic abuse took photos of reality TV stars Kendall and Kim without permission and used them in his campaign.

Public figures may choose to endorse brands (unless you’re Adele) as it’s a lucrative way to cash in and boost their profiles, but we would argue that they should be able to actively decide which campaigns they support. And there’s the none too small matter that the company in question stands to profit from her imagery, while she receives no compensation.

We imagine it’s extremely unpleasant to see your name splashed across billboards attached to a product you want nothing to do with. Is all publicity good publicity? The actress clearly doesn’t think so.

“Sof?a personally prides herself on believing in what she sells, and she talks about it genuinely,” a source added. “For someone to just slap her face and image on something that she doesn’t even like, she just feels like she’s cheating her fans.”

The company in question have yet to respond to the claims, but it seems like there’s a missing link somewhere. Why would any reputable beauty company resort to such a measure knowing the impending backlash that could potentially occur? As a pure PR move? It seems unlikely as the press surrounding the product has been so negative, but stranger things have happened.

Vergara has reportedly been battling with the company for a year in a bid to stop them from using her face across their products.?

Via US Weekly