A paparazzi agency has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after reaching a settlement with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, in December 2020.
Markle’s legal battle with the agency Splash News & Picture Agency came after they took pictures of her and her son Archie in a park in Canada last year. In the case, she said the pictures were an invasion of privacy.
Splash’s president Emma Curzon said in a declaration submitted as part of the bankruptcy claim (as reported in The Hollywood Reporter) that Markle’s lawsuit was not the only cause of their financial problems.
According to Curzon, it was from three sources:
“As a consequence of the global pandemic the availability of celebrity images has declined and budgets within media companies have been cut to reflect wider macro-economic challenges.”
“This situation has been exacerbated by two ongoing litigation cases and the costs of defending these cases.”
As well as Markle’s case, Splash is also the defendant in a case by Esmeralda Servin. Servin was previously an account manager with the company, who has said she was subject to repeated sexist comments while working for Splash.
She also claims she was fired after she raised a range of concerns about the company, including illegal bidding and lack of transparency about commissions.
Previously, Splash has sued celebrities like Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, and fashion house Moschino for posting images taken by the paparazzi agency on their social media accounts.
featured Image: iStock/NataliaCatalina
