Cheesy Lawsuit Against O
This class action lawsuit against O Magazine is a cheap attempt to use Oprah to grab some publicity.
True enough, TMZ broke the story that a disgruntled subscriber has sued the mag and Hearst Publications, claiming she was double billed for her magazines and threatened to pay up -- or else her credit rating would go in the toilet. Maybe she was double billed. It happens. But frankly, it happens with lots of magazines, so why did the lawyers in this case zero in on O? Then answer lies in the O, and the P R A and H.
These lawyers got one pissed-off woman to launch a class action lawsuit. So how are they going to get other plaintiffs? Well, first you need the media to put the word out so other subscribers will follow suit. After all, the more plaintiffs, the more money the lawyers make. The media isn't going to do a story on Popular Mechanics over-billing its customers. Oprah, on the other hand, is a sure bet.
I won't deny it. TMZ dug up the lawsuit and broke the story. And that's exactly what the lawyers wanted. Should we have published it? It's hard to play judge when it comes to reporting on court cases. But Z-Spin is my chance to talk about the real deal, and the real deal is that this lawsuit is a little bit sickening.
I don't know her, but I'm guessing Oprah doesn't have much to do with sending out invoices for magazines. She's kinda pressed for time. But using Oprah's name -- that's gold. The lawyers were actually legally wrong when they repeatedly referred to the publication as Oprah Magazine. It's called O. But maybe the lawyers weren't sure if the media would figure out that O stands for Oprah. So for safe measure, they used an incorrect magazine title to ensure attention.
In the end, if this lawsuit goes anywhere, the plaintiff's will each get $10 and the lawyers will get rich. This is a case where a celebrity was totally used in an unfair way, and it kinda sucks.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Oprah, Z-Spin
