According to loudwire.com, Guns N’ Roses‘s former photographer Katarina Benzova has allegedly filed lawsuit against the band and their management for alleged copyright infringement and alleged sexual harassment by Guns N’ Roses’s alleged manager Fernando Lebeis. The rock band has allegedly noted that they allegedly filed an alleged counter claim against the alleged photographer back in October.
Benzova’s alleged lawsuit was filed in California on November 11 and according to the alleged suit, Benzova allegedly worked with Guns N’ Roses as an alleged independent contractor from 2010 until 2022, allegedly for a total of 364 concerts. Guns N’ Roses, Gundam LLC, Team Brazil and Lebeis are allegedly listed as the defendant in the alleged case.
The alleged suit claims that the band and their camp allegedly committed alleged copyright infringement on Benzova’s photographs allegedly “through the reproduction, public display, distribution, creation of derivative works, and holding out of Benzova’s photographs for licenses and sale to third party publications after termination of any right to do so.” The alleged photographs were allegedly altered in order to allegedly cover alleged infringement and alleged false ownership of them.
The suit also alleges that Lebeis, Guns N’ Roses‘s manager and member of Team Brazil, allegedly and repeatedly made allege sexual advances toward Benzova numerous times allegedly starting immediately after he became the band’s manager in 2016- 2022. The alleged suit claims Benzova allegedly rejected Lebeis’s alleged advances because the alleged manager allegedly became aggressive and hostile toward her while allegedly manipulated through “name-calling, ridicule, demeaning remarks, humiliation, bullying and lying.
According to the alleged report, Lebeis allegedly lowered Benzova’s fee without notifying her, allegedly withheld payments from her, allegedly moved her to cheaper hotels during travel, allegedly demanded she pay out of pocket for travel expenses that Team Brazil promised to cover and allegedly refused to respect her demand for photo credit.
The suit claims that Benzova had tried to use written contracts with Guns N’ Roses repeatedly since 2016 but her efforts were allegedly ignored. Then back in October of 2022, Lebeis allegedly cut ties with Benzova by allegedly citing various reasons for her alleged termination, including alleged “budgetary concerns.” The alleged suit adds that Benzova allegedly believes that Lebeis allegedly discriminated against her because she allegedly rejected his alleged sexual advances and allegedly claims another photographer for the band, Jarmo, was allegedly treated in the same regard as she was.
In the following statement Guns N’ Roses responded to the alleged lawsuit against them: “Ms. Benzova was initially contracted to provide tour photography services for Guns N’ Roses in 2010. She worked with the band for 12 years and was paid and treated extraordinarily well. It was only after her services were discontinued in 2022 that she attempted to claim ownership in photos which her contract clearly states are owned by the band. The band takes these types of claims very seriously however all evidence establishes these accusations are categorically and unequivocally false. This response from her comes after the band initiated suit against Ms. Benzova for falsely asserting ownership in the photos of the band.”
Guns N’ Roses‘s allegedly filed a lawsuit against Benzova in California on October 24 for alleged declaratory relief. The bands alleged suit claims alleged copyright invalidity, alleged non-ownership and alleged non-infringement, stating that Benzova had allegedly “falsely alleged copyright infringement against various persons and entities” in March of 2023.
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