Opinion

Oma v. Hillman Periodicals, Inc.

  • 281 A.D. 240
  • 118 N.Y.S.2d 720
Court
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
Filed
Feb 3, 1953
Status
Published
Author
Peck
On the bench
Breitel, Peck
Cited by
24 cases

The opinion

Peck, P. J.

(dissenting). The use of plaintiff’s name and photograph on the back cover of defendant’s magazine does not, in my opinon, fall into the category of any exemption defined by previous decisions under the Civil Rights Law. The inside of the article referred to on the outside cover was not about plaintiff as a public figure. He was in no way mentioned in the article or referred to in any way. Nor was he even used as an *246 illustration. The photograph, its pose, and place on the cover were plainly used to catch the eye and advertise the magazine and the article. I think that is not a permissible use of one’s name and visage and that plaintiff is not subject to such use because he happened to be á public figure in a sense.

Cohn, and Van Voobhis, JJ., concur with Breitel, J.; Peck, P. J., dissents in opinion in which Callahan, J.-, concurs.

Order reversed, with $20 costs and disbursements to the appellants and the motion granted.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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