Woody Allen

Woody Allen has agreed on a $5 million settlement on Monday with a popular clothing company that had earlier used his image on billboards. The company will now keep off the images of Allen and his dirty laundry out of sight.

Allen, one of the eminent filmmakers of Hollywood, sued the lewd American Apparel chief guru Dov Charney for $10 million for using his images on the billboard ads that projected Allen in black Hasidic garb in a scene from “Annie Hall“.

“It’s of course possible by going through the trial a jury might have awarded me more money but this is not how I make my living and five million dollars is enough to discourage American Apparel or any one else from ever trying such a thing again“, said Allen to the press outside the courthouse.

Allen appeared in the courtroom for a short time. He was asked by a law officer to keep away his copy of the Daily News before he headed to meet the judge to sign off on the deal. Allen also added, “Their liability in the case was immediately clear to the judge, who told them so. It was also clear that the court considered their phony First Amendment ranting and claims of parody, sheer nonsense”.

Charney, who was charged for provocative ads justified that the ads were about free speech and blamed the deal on American Apparel’s insurance company. Charney claimed that he still respected Allen, even after Allen’s lawyers accused Charney of trying to take advantage on the couple’s 1992 split – and Allen’s later marriage to one of Farrow’s adopted daughters.

“Threats and press leaks by American Apparel designed to smear me did not work and a scheme to call a long list of witnesses who had absolutely nothing to do with the case was also disallowed by the court. I suspect this dose of legal reality led to their eleventh hour settlement“, said Allen.

Charney has said that he still is an Allen fan despite the pricey settlement. “I hope to meet Mr. Allen on more friendly terms. I’m looking forward to his next film“, he added.

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