Topless Photos Atop Empire State Building Spark Lawsuit

[Turk]

14 January 2014 Last updated at 18:06 GMT

Model Shelby Carter, said to be a friend of photographer Allen Henson, was filmed while topless on 9 August 2013

The owners of New York's Empire State Building have sued a fashion photographer who shot images of a topless woman atop the skyscraper.

They say Allen Henson's actions in August were "inappropriate" at a family tourist attraction and that he lacked permission to hold a photo shoot there.

The owners seek $1.1m (£668,455) in damages.

Henson says the photos were taken of a friend on his personal cell phone and have "zero commercial value".

The New York-based photographer and Iraq war veteran told the BBC he first learned of the lawsuit through the news media on Monday and had not yet retained a lawyer.

'A great view'
Allen Henson seen in an undated photo Allen Henson, a former Iraq war veteran, says tourists were taking photos without permission, too
"It wasn't a photo shoot", he said, adding the images were taken of a good friend, Texas-based model Shelby Carter, on the 86th storey observation deck.

"We thought it would just be wonderful, a great view… no harm no foul", he added. "Nobody was injured, no children were around."

In a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court, the companies that own the building and operate the observation deck argue the incident threatened their ability to ensure a "safe, secure and appropriate place for families and tourists".

ESRT Observatory and ESRT Empire State Building also claim Henson lacked the required permission to use the trademarked image of the popular tourist spot, which attracts four million visitors annually.

The photographer told the BBC the photos were not intended for commercial distribution and he had not made any money from them since they were taken.

He also added that many of the tourists around him on 9 August were also taking photos and video on their personal cell phones without securing prior permission.

"It's not logical," he said of the lawsuit. "They've made a mistake here."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25734917

[Ambrocious]

The real reason they are making a big deal out of this...because the guy who took the picture was an Iraq war veteran, and our administration holds 100 percent disdain for the troops in all of his actions. Our vets are hated and persecuted because they are battle ready and when the time comes to defend this country, they will lead armies of their own to overthrow this corrupted insane system. It wouldn't surprise me if our government one day decides to blow something up and blame it on a vet or a group of vets to have a reason to implement Martial Law and start rounding up opposition.

I thought I might add that in that city alone, there are probably about 2,000 people having sex in very public locations and almost no one gives a danm. At any given time, 10,000 starving people are dying in the streets slowly and no one gives a danm. One topless girl isn't going to end the world, I'm pretty sure of that.

Edited January 14, 2014 by Ambrocious