Weapons N’ Roses are going through a brand new copyright infringement lawsuit filed by a photographer/videographer previously employed by the onerous rock juggernauts. Moreover that swimsuit, which was not too long ago filed by photographer Katarina Benzova, alleges claims of sexual harassment in opposition to the band’s supervisor Fernando Lebeis, who Benzova alleges made quite a few undesirable sexual advances towards her throughout a interval of a number of years.

The swimsuit in query is a countersuit to a grievance filed in opposition to Benzova by the band themselves. Weapons N’ Roses took authorized motion in opposition to the photographer a number of weeks in the past after she tried to assert possession of quite a few photographs she took of the band amid her 12-year run working with them. The band disputed her claims, stating of their swimsuit that she has “no possession curiosity within the copyright to the topic images and movies.”

Rolling Stone report that this new countersuit finds Benzova disputing the band’s possession claims, as she cites a prolonged ‘uncontracted interval’ of time throughout her run with the band. Benzova claims that she largely labored as a freelancer for the group and solely had a proper contract with the band for roughly 18 weeks. In keeping with Benzova, she shot the band throughout roughly 364 exhibits from 2010 to 2022.

Benzova claims that the photographs and pictures taken throughout this uncontracted interval had been reproduced and commercialized by the band, with no less than 145 of her works used with out her authorization or consent. She additional claims that quite a few these works had been then utilized by media shops, in advert campaigns, reveals, CDs and extra. She is looking for to be declared the ‘sole proprietor’ of those images, as a consequence of her not having a proper contract in place throughout the timeframe they had been taken.

Benzova alleges within the swimsuit that the band and their administration repeatedly “infringed” upon her copyrights, alleging that the band’s supervisor Fernando Lebeis at one level advised her, “she didn’t want credit score as a result of everybody already knew that she was the photographer of Weapons N’ Roses.”

Benzova alleges that her quite a few complaints about credit score for her works through the years had been typically disregarded by Lebeis, and that he would try to “gaslight” and “psychologically manipulate” her over possession of the images.

As for the claims of sexual harassment lodged in opposition to Lebeis, Benzova cited quite a few cases through which she claims Lebeis repeatedly made undesirable sexual advances in direction of her. These incidents allegedly started in 2016, when he first  tried to “pressure her to kiss him.”

She additionally claims Lebeis advised her “he liked her on greater than 500 cases” and despatched quite a few graphic and lewd messages, together with photographs and a video suggesting or depicting sexually graphic habits. She additionally claims an incident in 2018 served as the ultimate straw for her, through which Lebeis allegedly tried to strain her into having intercourse with him, whereas bodily touching her and “attempting to pressure himself” onto her.

She claims that her fixed rejections noticed Lebeis react by withholding compensation, reserving her in cheaper lodges, having her pay for flights she alleges had been initially set to be paid for by the band’s administration workforce, and likewise deliberately withholding picture credit.

Weapons N’ Roses‘ camp issued the next assertion to Rolling Stone in response to this countersuit:

“Ms. Benzova was initially contracted to offer tour images providers for Weapons N’ Roses in 2010. She labored with the band for 12 years and was paid and handled terribly properly. It was solely after her providers had been discontinued in 2022 that she tried to assert possession in photographs, which her contract clearly states are owned by the band. The band takes these kind of claims very significantly, nonetheless, all proof establishes these accusations are categorically and unequivocally false. This response from her comes after the band initiated swimsuit in opposition to Ms. Benzova for falsely asserting possession within the photographs of the band.”