NY court tosses suit over 'Couple's Retreat' photo

[July 10, 2010]  NEW YORK (AP) -- A former model might not like what the movie "Couple's Retreat" did with her years-old bikini photo, but a court says the comedy's distributors have no legal exposure.

Irina Krupnik's lawyer said Friday she was considering appealing a Manhattan judge's decision to dismiss her $10 million defamation lawsuit against NBC Universal Inc.

The judge noted last month that Krupnik signed a document waiving her rights to control the picture when it was taken in 2001. A stock agency eventually sold it to the makers of "Couple's Retreat."

A character in the 2009 movie deploys the photo as a sexual aid. Krupnik argued she never imagined such a use when she signed the photo release.

NBC Universal declined to comment.

[Associated Press]

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