Source: Reuters
By:
(LOS ANGELES, CA) — A judge has awarded former Baywatch star Pam Anderson and her ex-husband, rocker Tommy Lee $740,000 each in their long-running court fight against a porn company over a notorious videotape of them having sex.
U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson awarded Anderson and Lee a default judgment in their long-running, 1998 copyright infringement and invasion of privacy lawsuits against Internet Entertainment Group for selling the videotape over the Web.
Pregerson initially threw out the lawsuit in November of 1998, saying that the couple had signed away the rights to the so-called “honeymoon” tape, but an appeals court overturned that ruling and ordered further proceedings.
Since then, Pregerson said in granting judgment to Anderson, 35, and Lee, 40, IEG has failed to appear in court or defend itself in any way, essentially defaulting the case.
Pregerson, in a written ruling issued last week and made public on Tuesday, said that he was granting Lee and Anderson a total of $1,481,786, which amounted to the profit that IEG made on sales of the tape, to be split between them.
He also awarded them attorneys fees and court costs.
Last year, Anderson settled a second lawsuit against IEG over a sex tape she made with Bret Michaels, lead singer of the heavy metal band Poison. Anderson and Lee divorced and have fought bitterly in court over custody of their two children.
