New York Litigation Attorney Stuart Slotnick's Woody Allen v. American Apparel Case Settles Out of Court, Notes Various Publications

The case between U.S. clothing company American Apparel and actor/director Woody Allen will not go to trial. As reported on by various news outlets — including The New York Times, New York Post, New York Daily News, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Associated Press and a number of blogs — on Monday, May 19, 2009, Allen announced that he had accepted a settlement out of court. In the case, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Litigation attorneys Stuart P. Slotnick and Kristi A. Davidson represented American Apparel.

In a statement published in The Guardian, founder and Chief Executive of American Apparel Dov Charney wrote, "Naturally there is some relief of not having to go through a trial, but I also harbor a sense of remorse and sadness for not arguing an important issue regarding the First Amendment, particularly the ability of an individual or corporation to invoke the likeness of a public figure in a satiric and social statement."

The case stemmed from a 2007 billboard and website ad campaign in which American Apparel used a still frame from the film "Annie Hall" that depicted Allen's character as an Orthodox rabbi. Allen, who does not do endorsements in the U.S., filed a lawsuit in early 2008 against the clothing company, seeking $10 million in damages.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Slotnick said in an interview that the company had been "looking forward to going to trial to explain how the First Amendment is a sacred right in this country that allows for freedom of expression even in unconventional ways." But he said the retailer's insurance company made the decision to settle.

"I'm not sorry for expressing myself," Charney said. "I wish [Allen] the best with his career, and I am looking forward to his next film."