American Apparel And Woody Allen Reach Settlement

This morning, when a federal trial was due to commence in Manhattan, accused sexual deviant Dov Charney's company and the director announced that they had reached a settlement of $5M. Allen had sued the clothing company for $10M last year after they used an image from Annie Hall for their ad campaign. The billboards (seen in Hollywood and New York) featured Allen as a Hasidic Jew with a long beard, black hat and side curls, which, Allen argued, falsely implied he endorsed the clothing line known for its provocative advertising. The ad was also on the company's website. The images came down after one week.

In his court papers, the Oscar-winning director argued that the billboards "were a blatant misappropriation and commercial use" of his image and that he had not done any commercials in this country since he was a struggling stand-up comic in the 1960s. Allen's attorneys further argued that Allen believed that "maintaining strict control over his image had been critical to his success."

Charney's response after the announcement: "I'm not sorry of expressing myself," but added, "We would never try to malign the dignity of Mr. Allen. I have respect for Mr. Allen....I hope to meet him on more friendly terms at a different point."