Actress Katherine Heigl has filed a lawsuit against the Duane Reade Inc pharmacy chain for using her photo without permission. The pharmacy uses a photo of Heigl leaving one of their stores in some promotional material and Heigl claims that she did not give them permission to do so.

Heigl claims that the photo was taken by paparazzi and she does not know how the store got possession of the photos. Her lawsuit says that the store is exploiting her image for commercial gain despite her objection.

Heigl is suing for $6 million and says that she plans to donate any money she receives in the lawsuit to charity. Heigl is famous for her generosity and support of charities and not only donates money but also time to many of her favorite causes and charity organizations.

While Duane Reade Inc did not release a statement about the lawsuit or defend their use of her photo to the public, Heigl’s attorney did release a statement saying,

“We expect Duane Reade to pay for its willful misuse of Katherine Heigl’s name and likeness,” said her lawyer Peter Haviland, adding that any money recovered would go to a charity she has supported for many years.

Heigl has starred in several films throughout her career, including 27 Dresses and Knocked Up. She has also won an Emmy for her role as Izzie Stevens in medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. Her attorney said that she is a highly sought after actress and when it comes to promotional work, she is paid well for it.

The pharmacy used Heigl’s photo in a tweet in which they advertised the company and showed Heigl leaving the pharmacy with bags in hand. The logo of the paparazzi site which took the photo and first shared them on the Internet was in the corner of the photo. The lawsuit is over 15 pages long and Heigl’s attorney is confident that they will win it.

Do you think Heigl has the right to sue the pharmacy chain over the photo and tweet?

Image via Wikimedia Commons