Thursday, January 3, 2008

Model who faked an orgasm for diamond commercial sues jewelry company for $5m

A model who slipped into sexy lingerie and faked an orgasm for a diamond commercial is suing the firm claiming she was conned into appearing in the ad.

The American woman - who is not named - has hit Szul Jewelry Inc with a $5 million USD lawsuit.

Court papers say the online advertisement is set to "bump-and-grind" music and has "a decidedly pornographic look, feel and sound."

Her lawyer, Kevin Mulhearn, said of the commercial: "This was a bait and switch."

The clip has been viewed more 10,000 times on video sharing website, YouTube.

Mr Mulhearn told a US newspaper: "She can live with a comedic spot that has a touch of sexiness at the end, but it's certainly not okay for her to be in something that's quasi-soft-core porn. "She doesn't want to be associated with this at all."

The 35-second "Rock Her World" ad features the model rubbing herself and purring with pleasure to the hard-grinding sounds of a guitar.

The slogan "Jewelry works every time" pops up on-screen at the end.

The 37-year-old woman, identified in Manhattan court papers as the host of a national cable network show, claims she expected a "comedic" bit about a "shy average Joe guy" who lures a beautiful woman by giving her a diamond necklace.

The suit also alleges the woman, who was paid just $200 USD for the advert, did not sign a release form allowing Szul to use her image. "She was aghast, appalled and extremely angry when she saw the ad," Mulhearn said. "She got used and exploited."

The suit says the married woman responded to an ad seeking a man and a woman for a "Viral Web Spot" commercial. The actor hired at a November 2007 audition to play the "shy average Joe" - who court papers filed in

Manhattan Supreme Court identify as Tommy Dickie - never even made it into the final version. Toward the end of the shoot, the director told Doe to "feign excitement while lying down," the suit says.

When the ad was aired online, it "focused without interruption on plaintiff, lying down and wearing a Szul necklace, appearing to have an orgasm or otherwise experiencing sexual pleasure," according to the suit.

A spokesperson for Szul was unavailable for comment.

In a press release to raise awareness of the "Rock Her World" campaign, the firm said: "Because we're going after a younger, hipper generation that is not likely to be pulled in by traditional holiday ads, these videos are deliberately less romantic than those of our traditional competitors.

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