Woman Says She Was Exploited in 'Girls Gone Wild' Video as a Young Teen
A Georgia woman who appeared topless in a "Girls Gone Wild" video when she was 14-years-old is suing the producers of the film, claiming the image was used commercially without her consent.
Lindsey Boyd - now a 26-year-old mother - was a minor 12 years ago when she says she was approached by two men with a video camera on a spring break trip to Florida offering her beads to expose her breasts. Boyd says she lifted her shirt and flashed them.
Those few seconds of video were later sold to the makers of "Girls Gone Wild," who released the video with her face plastered on the cover. Boyd said she never consented to the use of her image for commercial use and says she was exploited as a young teen.
After years of legal wrangling, Boyd's lawsuit against MRA Holding and Mantra Films will finally be heard Nov. 5 in Georgia's Supreme Court.
"[The cameramen] didn't have big equipment with them or 'Girls Gone Wild' t-shirts or anything," Boyd told ABC News affiliate WSB-TV on Oct. 3.
The image of the cover still haunts Boyd and says it ruined her life and reputation. Boyd says she found out about the video a few years later while in high school.
"Teachers knew about it, coaches knew about it. It was devastating. It was so embarrassing," Boyd said.
In 2004, she sued MRA Holding and Mantra Films, arguing her image was used for commercial purposes without her consent.
"She bared her breasts for some man, some men, and unbeknownst to her, she didn't dream that it would be used for in 'Girls Gone Wild,'" said Jeff Banks, Boyd's attorney.
The suit has been tied up in knots since 2004 moving between state and federal courts. The main issue for the delay is due to Georgia law, which isn't clear on whether she even has a case, according to lawyers.
"What the defendants are arguing is that she cannot later claim her right of privacy was somehow violated because she in fact consented to do this in a public arena," ABC News legal analyst Dana Cole said.
An attorney for MRA Holding and Mantra Films released a statement to ABC News, saying, "The defendants merely purchased the footage from an independent third party. Defendants believe the law is clear that Plaintiff does not have a legally cognizable claim."
Georgia's Supreme Court now has to decided if Boyd has the right to sue over a teenage mistake.
"A stupid split second decision you make could follow you for the rest of your life," Boyd said.