Vette's Claims Against AdultFriendFinder Can Proceed

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles Superior Court judge last week refused to dismiss adult performer Vicky Vette's claims that her image was illegally used to market AdultFriendFinder in banner ads.

Vette, in a suit filed last month, charged that she first viewed an unauthorized photo of herself in an AdultFriendFinder ad on DumpsterSluts.com.

Other pictures of Vette later turned up on AdultFriendFinder's affiliate program site, the complaint said.

The affiliate program site, the suit said, "is designed to mislead the general public into thinking that Vette is somehow signed up to AdultFriendFinder in their area under the website handle of 'Groovy232 21/F.'"   

But "Vette is not 21 years old, has never signed up to AdultFriendFinder and at no time gave permission to defendants to use her name and likeness ... ," the suit said.

Vette suspects the pictures used on AdultFriendFinder and affiliate sites were taken about six years ago for a photo shoot titled, "Vicky Vette Photo Shoots." The photo shoot was initiated by a Danni.com employee, Francisco Guerra, the suit charges. (Danni.com now is a division of FriendFinder.)

Vette, who is suing for no more than $25,000, has made claims for unauthorized use of name and likeness, intentional misappropriation of plaintiff's right to publicity, conspiracy and unfair competition under California's business and professions code.

Vette, in a statement to XBIZ, said AdultFriendFinder had tried to get the case dismissed by offering Danni.com model releases to the court.

"I shot for Danni.com to be their Girl of the Month — not to be used as bait in AdultFriendFinder," Vette said. "No, I'm not Groovy232 ... and no I am not in El Paso, Tucson, Santa Clarita or anywhere else seeking a casual fling in your neighborhood.

"They should pay girls if they are going to put them in advertising saying things like 'Gets Double Teamed'. You'd think someone would have called me saying 'hey, do you mind if we put you on thousands of worldwide websites saying you are looking for a date?'"

Beverly Hills attorney Michael Kernan, who represents Vette, said that "lots of adult companies think they can do anything they want with a model release, but they do not understand release language."

"Endorsement language is very specific, and it is not in most model releases," Kernan said. "AdultFriendFinder argued it had model releases barring any claims, but the court was not convinced anything covered the image in question."

Vette, who scored Web Babe of the Year at the 2012 XBIZ Awards, co-operates VNAGirls.com with adult star Julia Ann.

Lindsay Trivento, a spokeswoman for AdultFriendFinder parent FriendFinder Networks, told XBIZ that she couldn't comment on the pending legal matter except to say that "we believe the claims are without merit."

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Two Texas Bills Restricting Sex Toy Sales Fail to Pass

Two bills aimed at restricting sales of sex toys have failed to pass the Texas state legislature during its 2025 session.

NYC Adult Stores Petition for Rehearing in Zoning Law Case

A group of adult businesses on Tuesday petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to rehear a case involving a zoning law that could severely limit adult stores’ operations in New York City.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

Show More