A local television advertisement for law firm Trolman, Glaser, & Lichtman was so popular that it went national, but the actress who stars in the spot has filed a lawsuit in order to get what she feels are royalties due to her. The character featured in the commercial is a lawsuit-happy gold digger eager make money from a frivolous lawsuit, but the actor that plays her may have a far more legitimate claim.
Elena Aroaz, the 36 year-old actress that stars in the firm’s commercial, filed a suit against the Levinson Trachtenberg Group in Manhattan Supreme Court last week. Her suit alleges that she was only paid $600 for her part in the commercial, under the agreement that it would be used on local cable television for a year. The commercial became extremely popular in the New York area, and the production company began to license the commercial to other local firms around the country. Aroaz claims that the production company licensed the image in violation of her initial contract and without her consent, and has made more than $250,000 off of the commercial across the country.
The advertisement features Aroaz describing an injury to the camera, saying how that she has been debilitated by her suffering, and that someone will have to pay for what has been done to her. Aroaz then raises her hand, showing a small bandage over a cut on her finger. Words flash on the screen saying, “There are some cases even we can’t win,” before the announcer urges viewers to call Trolman, Glaser, & Lichtman.
After the ad became a sensation in New York, the Levinson Trachtenberg Group began licensing it to other local firms in New Mexico, Washington, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Kansas, South Carolina, and Colorado. The New York Daily News reports that, after Aroaz learned that she was on a billboard in Arizona, she confronted Levinson Trachtenberg, who paid her an additional $1,500. At the time of that payment Aroaz says she did not know the scope of the campaign. She is now suing both the producers of the commercial and law firms that licensed it, seeking nearly $1 million in compensation.