Fiji Water Girl Kelleth Cuthbert sues the company that helped make her famous
Fiji Water Girl may have gotten her fame serving water bottles and undeniable looks on the red carpet, but she’s now coming after the water company with a lawsuit.
Model Kelleth Cuthbert became an internet sensation at the 76th annual Golden Globes Jan. 6 after photobombing multiple celebrities in a blue gown and carrying a tray full of Fiji Water bottles.
She is now suing Fiji Water Co. and The Wonderful Co. for creating cardboard cutouts of her viral moment without her permission, one of which was, ironically, spotted photobombing John Legend at an LA grocery store.
Related: Jamie Lee Curtis slams the Golden Globes' Fiji Girl: 'I specifically moved away'
A post shared by Sabrina Ortolano (@themoongoddesseskitchen) on Jan 22, 2019 at 8:21pm PST
In court documents obtained by E! News and TMZ, Cuthbert claims the company created a global marketing campaign with "the unauthorized use of (Fiji Water Girl's) photograph, likeness and identity."
Cuthbert, whose real name is Kelly Steinbach, alleges that she didn't "sign away her rights to 'Fiji Water Girl,'" despite the company pressuring her to do so with a "fake document" and enticing gifts.
Fiji Water confirmed Cuthbert's lawsuit to USA TODAY, calling it "frivolous and entirely without merit."
"After the Golden Globes social media moment, we negotiated a generous agreement with Ms. Cuthbert that she blatantly violated," the company said. "We are confident that we will prevail in Court. Throughout our history, we have had a sterling reputation working with talent."
Related: Fiji Girl lands gig on soap opera after viral Golden Globes moment
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fiji Water Girl Kelleth Cuthbert sues the company that helped make her famous
