The former boyfriend and manager of “Jersey Shore” star Jenni “JWoWW” Farley has been barred, at least temporarily, from selling nude and semi-nude pictures and videotapes he took of her while she was under pre- and post-operative anesthesia. Nassau County State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey S. Brown (See Profile) granted a preliminary injunction against the distribution of those and other images pending the resolution of a breach of contract suit Thomas Lippolis has filed against Ms. Farley. Justice Brown has assigned to arbitration the case to arbitration. Mr. Lippolis is demanding $700,000 for what he says he is owed for his strenuous efforts to advance Ms. Farley’s career. The two parted ways after “Jersey Shore” became a reality-TV hit.
“Should these nude or partially nude photos or videos be disseminated pending resolution of the underlying action, the court finds that defendant’s reputation and persona will be irreparably harmed,” Justice Brown wrote in Lippolis v. Farley, 022287-2010, citing §§50, 51 of Civil Rights Law, which prohibits commercial misappropriation of a person’s name or likeness.
