Virtual GTA V Character Lacey Jonas Sued By Real Life Character Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan announced this week that she has filed a lawsuit against Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games, the makers of the video game Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V). Forbes tells us that Lindsay Lohan alleges that Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games incorporated her image and likeness into the GTA V character Lacey Jonas. According to the GTA Wiki, Lacey Jonas is a famous actress and minor character in GTA V. Players come into contact with Lacey Jonas in an alley in downtown Vinewood. At that point, the character asks players to drive her home while avoiding the paparazzi, thus launching the start of a new mission in the game.

For her part, Forbes goes on to tell us that Lindsay Lohan’s suit argues that “the character Lacey Jonas is an ‘unequivocal’ reference to Lohan, depicting everything from her likeness to her clothing line to the Chateau Marmont hotel where Lohan once lived.” The suit goes on to state that the character Lacey Jonas incorporates Lohan’s image, likeness, clothing, outfits, and Lohan’s clothing line ensemble including hats, sunglasses, hairstyle, and jean shorts.

Fox43 informs us that this is not the first time that Lindsay Lohan has filed suit against others she has alleged were profiting from her image. In 2010, Lohan sued E*Trade over a Super Bowl commercial that mentioned “that milkaholic Lindsay” and in 2011 she sued Pitbull for allegedly using her name within the lyrics of the song “Give Me Everything Tonight.” Fox43 tells us that the suit against E*Trade was settled out of court and that the suit against Pitbull was dismissed.

All indications are that Lohan’s latest venture to sue Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games may end similarly without results for Lohan. The Independent explains that US copyright law typically protects parody, and Lohan isn’t the only celebrity that can make the case that her “likeness” has made an appearance in GTA V. The Independent informs us several celebrity “likenesses” have been incorporated into the game including Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and a non-playable character that looks just like Tupac Shakur. Rockstar games has said that any celebrity likenesses are coincidental, and with Lacey Jonas being obsessed with her image, publicity, and avoiding the paparazzi, her character could be construed as a representation of the likenesses of many female actresses on the Hollywood scene.

The Inquisitr tells us that Lindsay Lohan is spending most of her time in London these days. It’s doubtful that Lacey Jonas is losing any sleep over the lawsuit either. Even if Lacey Jonas is in part a virtual representation of Lohan’s persona, the whole lawsuit probably says more about Lohan’s character than it does about the fictitious character of Lacey Jonas.