|
 Sean Hepburn Ferrer, who once chaired the
Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund, accused the charity of
infringing trademark and other rights belonging to him and Luca
Dotti, his half-brother.
Dotti and Ferrer had founded the charity, which was once called
Hollywood for Children Inc (HFC), following their mother's 1993
death at age 63.
Ferrer's lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles follows a
lawsuit that the charity filed against him in February in Los
Angeles County Superior Court.
The charity in its lawsuit said Ferrer's "increasingly hostile
actions" impeded its ability to take part in exhibitions and
raise money, and sought to stop his alleged interference.
"We stand by the allegations in our state court case," Steven
Young, a lawyer for the charity, said in an interview.
"Mr. Ferrer, for reasons known only to him, continues to try to
disrupt and destroy the ability of the Audrey Hepburn Children's
Fund to raise money for various children's charities. We are
confident that the judicial process will ensure a just result,"
Young said.
In Thursday's lawsuit, Ferrer said he resigned as chairman in
2012 amid disagreements over spending, but let the charity use
his mother's name, persona and legacy case-by-case.
He said he has granted no such rights since 2015 and that the
charity's subsequent infringements falsely suggest that he,
Dotti or their mother endorsed them.
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"HFC is contending effectively that it has been granted a perpetual,
worldwide license to do whatever it wants with Audrey Hepburn's name
and related intellectual property," Lawrence Segal, a lawyer for
Ferrer, said. "That is not the case."
Dotti did not join his half-brother as a plaintiff. "There is a
disagreement between Mr. Ferrer and Mr. Dotti as to the requirements
for granting a license," Segal said.
Thursday's lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction
against further infringements.
Hepburn starred in many successful 1950s and 1960s films, including
"Sabrina," "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "My Fair Lady."
She devoted much of her later life to charity, becoming a UNICEF
goodwill ambassador.
U.S. President George H.W. Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal
of Freedom six weeks before her death.
The federal case is Ferrer v. Hollywood for Children Inc, U.S.
District Court, Central District of California, No. 17-07318. The
state case is Hollywood for Children Inc v. Ferrer, California
Superior Court, Los Angeles County, No. BC649828.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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