Guns N' Roses and their manager have been named as defendants in a copyright infringement and sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the band's former photographer.
Photographer Katarina Benzova, who worked for the band from 2010 to 2022, filed a lawsuit on Saturday, November 11, in which she revealed that she worked as a freelancer across 364 concerts. She also listed Gundam LLC - Guns N' Roses' business and holding company - as well as Team Brazil in the filing.
Katarina Benzova Filed a Lawsuit
According to the lawsuit, Guns N' Roses and their team allegedly committed copyright infringement on the photos she took and altered some of the images to falsely claim ownership of the snaps.
Benzova added that the band's manager, Fernando Lebeis, made unwanted sexual advances toward her when she started working with him after he started managing Guns N' Roses in 2016.
The photographer said Lebeis became aggressive after she rejected him, leading her to suffer from "name-calling, ridicule, demeaning remarks, humiliation, bullying, and lying."
She dropped in the filing that another photographer for the band was not treated the same way as she was.
Guns N' Roses Responds to Lawsuit
In an exclusive statement to Loudwire, Guns N' Roses dismissed the claims and issued a copy of the band's initial lawsuit against Benzova dated October 24. The band stated that she had "falsely alleged copyright infringement against various persons and entities" in March of 2023.
"The band takes these types of claims very seriously however all evidence establishes these accusations are categorically and unequivocally false," part of the statement read. "This response from her comes after the band initiated suit against Ms. Benzova for falsely asserting ownership in the photos of the band."
Guns N' Roses' lawsuit highlighted that Benzova agreed and acknowledged upon her employment in 2010 that Waterhead International Inc., would have the exclusive ownership of the band's photos.
It also unveiled the Crew Member Employment Memorandum the photographer agreed and signed in 2021, citing that "there is no legal or factual basis on which Benzova was entitled to register a copyright in the works featuring GN'R."
The photographer has yet to respond to the band's new statement.
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