A New York Supreme Court judge rules last Friday that Lindsay Lohan's case against Grand Theft Auto 5 and its creators Rockstar Games and Take-Two can move forward.
Judge Joan Kenney decided on Friday that the state of New York would like to hear what the former Disney star's legal team has to say regarding the likeness lawsuit Lindsay Lohan filed against Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive and the incredibly popular Grand Theft Auto 5. According to the 67-page complaint Lohan's legal team filed in 2014, Lohan is claiming that Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar used the actress' likeness without her consent when it created the character of Lacey Jonas in Grand Theft Auto 5. Judge Kenney, in making the decision, stated:
"When deciding whether or not a complaint should be dismissed...all factual allegations must be accepted as true."
What that means is, essentially, because Lindsay Lohan has a reasonable case at all, the court is obligated to proceed and hear her legal team out. What the judge's decision isn't, however, is confirmation that Lohan's lawsuit looks like it might succeed. That success will be based largely upon the 45 pages of documents dedicated to photographs comparing Lacey Jonas in a swimsuit and photos of Lohan from 2007, where the star took a photograph that looks very similar to the one Rockstar used on the Grand Theft Auto 5 game disc.
When the case was first filed, Take-Two immediately accused Lohan of suing as a publicity stunt, while Rockstar remained a little more measured in describing the lawsuit as "legally meritless" before accusing the star of the same attention-seeking action Take-Two believes she is guilty of. There are a number of similarities between Lindsay and Lacey - that they both have blonde hair, for instance, or were both famous as teen singers - but it remains to be seen if the similarities are enough to build an entire case around.
Lohan's assertion that she was wronged by a very prominent company in the video game industry, however, has not stopped the actress from pursuing her own interests within the world of mobile gaming. Lohan released the mobile game The Price of Fame in 2014, likely trying to build on the success that Kim Kardashian had with the surprisingly okay Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. Unfortunately, the game wasn't nearly as profitable, and Lohan has not made another attempt to venture into the business as of yet.
There's no word yet on when and how the trial will move forward, but given how vocal both parties have been throughout the endeavor so far, it's likely that gamers will know immediately after Rockstar or Take-Two find out. For now, the media will simply have to sit back and wait for yet another controversy surrounding the familiar target of Grand Theft Auto to enter the next stage of its evolution.
What do you make of Lindsay Lohan's case being moved forward? Do you think Lacey Jonas is based on Lohan, and is there enough proof even if she is? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: IGN (via The Hollywood Reporter)