A Manhattan woman’s violation-of-privacy suit, which alleges that participants in the Home Box Office show “Family Bonds” made crude comments about “the effects looking at [her had] on their respective libidos,” highlights the challenges that reality TV shows face under New York state law.
Supreme Court Justice Debra A. James has denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss, holding that the defense failed to satisfy the “real relationship” standard for a violation-of-privacy defense, which requires a connection between the use of a person’s likeness and the editorial message of a program.
