Lapina v. Men Women N.Y. Model Management Inc.

86 F. Supp. 3d 277, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15234, 2015 WL 556674
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedFebruary 6, 2015
DocketNo. 14 Civ. 6890
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 86 F. Supp. 3d 277 (Lapina v. Men Women N.Y. Model Management Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lapina v. Men Women N.Y. Model Management Inc., 86 F. Supp. 3d 277, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15234, 2015 WL 556674 (S.D.N.Y. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION

SWEET, District Judge.

Defendant Men Women N.Y. Model Management Inc. (“Women NY”) has moved to compel plaintiffs Ginta Lapina (“Lapina”) and Gingin Management Ltd. (“Gingin,” together with Lapina, the “Plaintiffs”) to arbitrate their claims against Women NY. Based on the conclusions set forth below, the motion is granted and the Plaintiffs are directed to proceed to arbitration.

Prior Proceedings

Plaintiffs filed their complaint (“Complaint”) on August 25, 2014, alleging claims for unfair competition and trademark dilution in violation of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a) and (c) (Counts I and IV); violation of the New York Statutory Right of Publicity, New York Civil Rights Law §§ 50 ' and 51 (Count II); common law unfair competition (Count III); civil conspiracy (Count V); unjust enrichment (Count VI); breach of contract (Count VII); and breach of fiduciary duty (Count VIII). Among the named defendants are [280]*280Women NY; Women Management Inc. (“WMI”); Women Model Management Inc. (“WMMI”); Men Women Model Management Inc. (“Men Women”); Women Management S.A.R.L. (“Women Paris,” together with Women NY, WMI, WMMI, and Men Women, the “Women Defendants”); Elite World S.A. (“Elite”); Henk-el of America, Inc. (“HOA”); Henkel AG & Co., KGAA (“HAG,” together with HOA, the “Henkel Defendants”); Koninklijke Philips N.V. (“KPNV”); and, Philips North America Corporation (“Philips NA,” together with KPNV, the “Philips Defendants”).1 Women NY filed its motion to compel arbitration on September 19, 2014.

The motion was heard and marked fully submitted on October 29, 2014.

Facts

The allegations of the Complaint are assumed to be true and are summarized only to the extent necessary to dispose of Women NY’s motion to compel arbitration. The facts recounted herein are drawn from the Complaint and the agreements between the parties which are described in detail below.

Lapina is a “celebrity fashion model” who has been represented by Women NY, a New York-based model management company, since 2008, when she made her fashion runway debut. (Compl. ¶¶ 15, 32.) Lapina “has gained significant U.S. and international public recognition in the modeling industry by virtue of her work in the industry since 2005,” and “has created a brand in her image and persona subject to protection against infringement and dilution.” (Compl. ¶ 37.) Gingin “owns the intellectual property rights to the celebrity image and persona of’ Lapina, and is one of Lapina’s representatives. (Compl. ¶ 16.) Elite is the majority owner of Women NY. (Compl. ¶¶ 7, 22.)

Women Paris is a French affiliate of Women NY that “handled billing and collections” for Lapina in France. (Compl. ¶¶ 21, 47.)

The Henkel Defendants are foreign corporations that market and distribute the Schwarzkopf line of hair care products, and the Philips Defendants are foreign corporations that market and distribute the Philips line of hair care products. (Compl. ¶¶ 8-11, 23-26.)

On January 15, 2013, Lapina renewed her exclusive model management contract with WMI for a three-year term expiring on January 15, 2016 (“2013 Agreement”). (Compl. ¶ 38, Ex. B.) Pursuant to the 2013 Agreement, Lapina appointed and engaged WMI as her “sole and exclusive personal manager” for the entire term of the 2013 Agreement. (2013 Agreement ¶ 1.) WMI’s responsibilities under the 2013 Agreement include, among other things, (i) providing advice and counsel to Lapina concerning “the selection or consideration of career [281]*281opportunities, photographers and advertisers,” “all matters pertaining to publicity, public relations and advertising,” and general practices in the modeling industry; (ii) developing, negotiating, organizing, and administering “income producing opportunities available as a result of [Lapina’s] stature in the fashion industry, including, without limitation, licensing, endorsement, personal appearances, and publishing opportunities;” (iii) sending invoices to clients and collecting fees earned by Lapina; and (iv) providing advice concerning requests to use Lapina’s “name, photograph, likeness, or other item intended to make reference to [Lapina].” (Id.)

Under the 2013 Agreement, Lapina agreed to pay WMI a commission for the performance of its services, and acknowledged that WMI was not licensed “as an employment agency under the general business law of the State of New York” and “has at all times advised [Lapina] that it is not licensed to seek or obtain employment or engagements for [Lapina] and [Women NY] does not agree to do so.” (2013 Agreement ¶¶ 2, 10(a).) Lapina further acknowledged in the 2013 Agreement that the performance of WMI’s services “is in the capacity of an independent contractor” and not an employer. (2013 Agreement ¶ 10(b).) Lapina granted WMI “the right to use [Lapina’s] name, likeness, voice, biography, or other item intended to make reference to [Lapina] in connection with promoting” Lapina and WMI. (2013 Agreement ¶ ll(k).) Each of Plaintiffs’ claims against Women NY involves these (and other) provisions of the 2013 Agreement.

Lapina, through Gingin, also entered into a separate contract with Women Paris (the ‘Women Paris Agreement”) which is governed by French law.2 The Women Paris Agreement provides for the “promotion, sale, exploitation or reproduction of the recording of the presentation of the MODEL3 and the promotion or sale of the MODEL’S services to the AGENCY’S client-user’s worldwide,” and expressly states that Women Paris “will not be held liable in the event of violations on the part of third parties who have not observed the requirements for the assignment of rights.” (Leccese Decl. Exh. C, Article 1, 2(A)). Women NY is not a party to the Women Paris Agreement.

The 2013 Agreement contains a dispute resolution clause:

If a dispute arises between the parties hereunder or involving this Agreement, the disputing party shall give notice in writing to the other informing them of the matter in dispute and requesting its settlement. If such dispute cannot be resolved in fourteen (14) days between us, such dispute shall be submitted to confidential arbitration and resolved ... by a single arbitrator in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association as then in effect. All such arbitration shall take place at the New York, New York office of the American Arbitration [A]s-[282]*282sociation. The award or decision rendered by the arbitrator shall be final, binding and conclusive....

(2013 Agreement, ¶ 11(1).)

On July 8 and 9, 2013, Lapina traveled to Paris to participate in a photo shoot “being taken by Karl Lagerfeld which would be included in an interview with Karl Lagerfeld called the Schwarzkopf Look 2014 Trends.” (Compl. ¶48.) In December 2013, Henkel allegedly requested that the Women Defendants and Elite “expand the scope of the limited license and use the Schwarzkopf Look 2014 advertorial worldwide (excluding the USA and Japan) ... -in connection with the Henkel Defendants’ Schwarzkopf line of hair care products,” and that Elite and the Women Defendants -granted the expanded license without Plaintiffs’ authorization. (Compl. ¶¶ 50, 53.) The alleged license expansion specifically excluded the United States. (See Compl. ¶ 50.)

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
86 F. Supp. 3d 277, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15234, 2015 WL 556674, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lapina-v-men-women-ny-model-management-inc-nysd-2015.