Kournikova,the social virus.

Matthew X profrv at nex.net.au
Thu Aug 29 05:56:14 PDT 2002


Penthouse Readers Sue Over Kournikova
They wanted to see Anna naked. They didn't see Anna naked. Hence a class 
action has been filed in Chicago by readers who bought the June issue of 
Penthouse magazine, saying they were defrauded by the promise of nude 
photos of tennis star Anna Kournikova. The magazine buyers said they paid 
for the magazine based on a headline, "Exclusive Anna Kournikova Caught 
Close Up on Nude Beach." But they did not get what they paid for. The 
photos are those of another woman, Judith Soltesz-Benetton. Both women have 
since sued the magazine and its publisher over the mistake.
The class action suit was brought against General Media Communications 
Inc., publisher of Penthouse which has a monthly circulation of 654,000. As 
a result of the deceptive headline, according to the complaint, Penthouse 
was able to double its circulation for the month of June to nearly 1.2 
million. Penthouse also raised the newsstand price for that one issue from 
$7.99 to $8.99. The photographs in question were taken in Florida by a 
jewelry salesman videotaping sunbathers, says the complaint. He was 
approached by General Media Communications Inc. who analyzed the video 
stills declaring the images of Kournikova to be authentic, according to the 
complaint. As early as April, the tennis star, through her agents, denied 
that they were authentic, but Penthouse published the photographs anyway 
more than a month later.
The action was filed in Chancery Court in Cook County by Aron Robinson, a 
sole practitioner, on behalf of those who bought the Kournikova issue at 
newsstands. The complaint claimed breach of contract, consumer fraud and 
breach of express warranty, and makes a general claim for reimbursement of 
the price of the magazine to the class.





More information about the cypherpunks-legacy mailing list