Jennifer Hudson has been hit by a lawsuit by a New York photographer who claims she posted his paparazzi picture on Instagram without his permission.
Snapper Fernando Ramales took an image of Jennifer wearing a pink blazer and thigh-high stiletto boots back in December, with a news site buying the picture and running a story on 21 December.
A few days later, the same photo appeared on Jennifer's Instagram page, with the watermark removed, alongside the caption: "Me walking out of 2019 into 2020 like ….just as grateful as I can be ! Thank u Lord for all you’ve done for me ! I hope u all find your joy in the new year !"
The image remains on Jennifer's page, and has attracted nearly 32,000 likes to date.
Ramales is seeking $175,000 (£143,000) in damages, plus attorneys' fees for the alleged copyright infringement.
His lawyer Richard Liebowitz explained to the New York Post's Page Six: "More and more celebrities are using social media to reach out to their fans to promote their brand by using photographs.
"But Ms. Hudson and her company did not get the proper permissions to use the photograph, and they also cropped out the photographer’s watermark identifying him as the copyright holder. You simply can’t do that."
Jennifer Lopez, Mandy Moore, Bella Hadid, and Ellen Barkin are among the other celebrities who have been sued in recent months for allegedly taking photographers' work and posting it on social media without permission.
