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By City News Service
A judge today dismissed blogger Perez Hilton’s unfair business practices suit against the celebrity photo agency X17, ruling that Hilton has no legal standing to sue X17 over its alleged mistreatment of its photographers.
Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, owns the celebrity Web site PerezHilton.com. He sued X17 on June 17, alleging it was violating wage and labor laws by making its photographers work long hours with low pay.
The practice gives X17 an unfair advantage over Hilton and other competitors, the suit alleged. However, in granting X17’s motion to dismiss the case and then striking the complaint outright on her own motion, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon said Hilton cannot intervene on behalf of photographers who work for another company.
Sanchez-Gordon rejected a request by one of Hilton’s lawyers, Gregory L. Doll, to have one last chance to
fix the complaint and persuade her it should go forward. The judge said the animosity between X17 and Hilton was evident. “It’s definitely clear there is no love fest between the two parties,” Sanchez-Gordon said. Outside court, Christopher W. Arledge, the attorney for X17 and its owners, Francois and Brandy
Navarre, praised the judge’s ruling.
“The court did the right thing and we’re pleased with her ruling,” Arledge said. However, Bryan J. Freedman, another Hilton lawyer, condemned the decision and said it would be appealed. “The judge was obviously biased against Perez Hilton,” Freedman said. “She’s basically sanctioned the ability of X17 to abuse its employees.”
Freedman said it is rare for a judge to deny a request to amend a complaint. Another case is pending in federal court in which X17 is suing Hilton for allegedly using the agency’s photos without permission. Freedman said he will soon be filing a motion asking for dismissal of that case.
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