A few years ago, Steven Mitchell slapped LeBron James with a $150,000 lawsuit for posting a photo of him dunking on his Instagram without taking the photographer’s permission.
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LeBron James is not only one of the greatest athletes ever, but the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has even succeeded off the court. Recently, Forbes announced that The King became the first active NBA player to become a billionaire.
With the 4-time MVP being super-wealthy, there have been times when people have tried to secure their bag by taking advantage of the same. One such example occurred a few years ago when photographer Steven Mitchell sent out a $150,000 lawsuit against the 18-time All-Star for posting a photo without using his permission for the same.
Moments after the Heat-Lakers December 13, 2019 clash, James posted a photo from the game on his Instagram and Facebook. It was a photo of him dunking the ball, and captioned:
What.A.Time.To.Be.Alive and I’m LIVING with Pure Joy! Thank you 🏀.
Did LeBron James commit copyright infringement by posting on his Facebook page a professional photographer’s photo of him dunking? That question is at issue in a new federal lawsuit against James. Details in a @SInow and @TheCrossover legal story: https://t.co/SwwgRfHNGe pic.twitter.com/0STpTDLbKO
— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) March 23, 2020
LeBron James countersued Steven Mitchell and sought $1 million and lawyer fees from the photographer
Much to Mitchell’s surprise, LBJ and the team responded to his lawsuit by filing a countersuit against the photographer. A statement attributed to James’ counsel Howard Shire stated:
“Only after our client was sued for copyright infringement for alleged use of a single photo – which we have consistently tried to settle for a reasonable amount – did we file this countersuit upon learning the photographer was making unlawful use of photographs of our client on his website to advertise and promote his photography services business,” via The Athletic.
“We continue to try to resolve this matter amicably. We have no interest whatsoever in ultimately obtaining any amounts from the plaintiff.”
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A year later, a settlement was made between King James and the photographer. However, the terms of the settlement were not made public.
According to The Athletic, the two sides wrote in a joint filing:
“The parties have reached a settlement in principle that resolves all claims in this action. The parties thus jointly request twenty-one (21) days to memorialize and execute the agreement in writing, after which time the parties intend to file a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice.”
