Sarah Jessica Parker. Photo by Hello Magazine.
Summary: A jewelry company is suing Sarah Jessica Parker for allegedly not endorsing their brand, despite being paid millions.
Does Sarah Jessica Parker cash checks without working for them? That’s what one jewelry company is claiming, and they are suing the “Sex and the City” star for breach of contract.
Kat Florence Design Limited said that they inked a deal with Parker for $7.5 million in 2015. In exchange for the money, Parker was supposed to promote the brand and allow the company to use her likeness to market its “Sarah Jessica Parker D-Flawless Diamond collection,” according to Page Six.
Kat Florence said that they paid Parker half of the money and covered her lavish expenses, and in turn, the actress was supposed to promote the jewelry at events and make an appearance at the store’s opening in London. The plaintiff said that Parker did not show up at the brand’s launch event and failed to mention the jewelry when she made red carpet appearances. Kat Florence said that instead Parker focused mostly on promoting her HBO show “Divorce” and her perfume line.
In its lawsuit, Kat Florence said that Parker was scheduled to do several high-profile interviews to talk about the jewelry, but that she failed to do so.
“Instead of doing the interviews, [Parker] simply claimed that it would be better for [her] if she promoted her own television show instead which would then indirectly assist [Kat Florence Design] in promoting her line,” the lawsuit said. “[Parker] even refused to do the simplest of marketing and promotion such as follow [Kat Florence Design] on Instagram.”
Kat Florence filed its federal lawsuit in Manhattan on Wednesday. The company said that Parker’s refusal to endorse the jewelry resulted in the brand’s failure.
“The failure of [Parker] to participate during this time period has resulted in the loss of the line, the loss of the London store, the loss of goodwill and has severely damaged the reputation of [Kat Florence Designs],” the lawsuit said.
A representative for the actress told Page Six that she fulfilled her end of the deal and that she should be paid the remaining millions left under her contract, which was obtained by The Blast.
The Blast obtained a copy of the lawsuit and found that Parker, 53, had strict demands written into her Kat Florence contract. For instance, Parker refused to do non-English interviews, controlled staff’s meal breaks, and refused to be filmed in a behind-the-scenes manner. Parker also requested she choose her own glam squad that Kat Florence would pay for, and she wanted a trailer for her team and a separate one for herself.
Parker also requested that Kat Florence fly her first-class with two guests and that she be housed in a five-star hotel in a suite while her guests were given their own rooms on the same floor. She requested $200 a day for herself and $100 a day for both of her guests.
The company was also responsible for giving Parker security on work days.
Kat Florence wanted to put Parker’s name or face on shopping bags or window displays, but Parker refused. Parker also refused to allow life-sized cut-outs be made of her, and she wanted final approval if the company hired someone else to endorse the line.
In the Kat Florence lawsuit, they said that Sarah made it difficult to schedule a launch event and that her refusal to show up to the event and promote the line constituted a breach of contract.