Those punks aren’t feeling so lucky now.
Clint Eastwood was awarded $6.1 million after he sued a Lithuanian company which had used his name and likeness to sell cannabidiol (CBD) products.
CBD is one of the active ingredients in marijuana, however, it does not have similar effects on its users.
According to a report from the World Health Organization, “In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential…. To date, there is no evidence of public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.”
Nevertheless, Eastwood, 91, filed two federal lawsuits in California against several companies in July 2020. One of the companies, Sera Labs, immediately stopped using its Eastwood ads. Two other companies named in the lawsuit, Patriot Supreme and Norok Innovation Inc., never responded to the litigation.
According to TMZ, the amount was awarded as a default judgement after the companies did not respond to the lawsuit.
The companies had been using fake interviews and real photos of the actor to create fake articles, among other things, which mislead customers into believing Eastwood endorsed their products. An amended complaint named Mediatonas and consolidated the case against that single entity.
“I am pleased with the Court’s ruling, and believe this judgment sends a powerful message to other online scammers who might try to illegally use someone’s name and reputation to sell their products,” Eastwood said in a statement to Rolling Stone.
In 2020, Tom Hanks criticized a similar situation involving himself as a “hoax,” but it is unclear if he took legal action.
