An Iowa farmer who starred in the 19th season of ABC’s “The Bachelor” sued the FarmersOnly.com relationship website Tuesday for allegedly using his image without permission.
Chris Soules, 34, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging misappropriation of his right of publicity. He seeks unspecified damages.
A FarmersOnly.com representative could not be immediately reached for commen.
According to the complaint, the defendants created a commercial using a description of his appearance on the show and his story of how his relationship with a woman from Chicago did not work out.
The commercial stated that had Soules gone to FarmersOnly.com, he could have found a country girl who would have been a better fit for a boy from Iowa like him, the suit states.
The commercial and Soules’ story was used to attract customers to its FarmersOnly.com’s website, the suit states.
Although the website used a blacked-out photo of a person instead of an actual picture of the plaintiff, an infringement still occurred, the suit alleges.
— Wire reports