14 DAY TRIAL // A Florida woman who has become famous on the Internet as the “attractive convict” for a 2010 arrest has decided to sue a company for using her mugshot picture in their advertisements without her permission.
Meagan Simmons of Zephyrhills, Florida, has received a lot of attention for her police mugshot after being arrested four years ago on a drunk driving charge.
Her mugshot photo was used in an advert made by background checking service InstantCheckmate along with the text, “Sometimes the cute ones aren't so innocent. Do a background check on anyone,” according to Metro.
Simmons' photograph, taken at the Hillsborough County jail, was used numerous times on the Internet and was even included in a presentation of good-looking mugshots on a TV show called “Inside Edition.”
In the meantime, the DUI charge was reduced to reckless driving, a misdemeanor that brought her a simple fine.
However, the woman's lawyer, Matthew Crist, says the background checking website has gone too far and crossed the line with their ad. So, Simmons decided she had enough publicity and filed a lawsuit against the InstantCheckmate.com website, accusing them of invading her privacy and using her image to make a profit.
“At the end of the day, this is actually about intellectual property. If someone is going to use your image, they need to pay you for it,” her lawyer stated.
Simmons' photo went viral in 2012, when a site dedicated to men posted a compilation of images under the headline “Who knew mugshots could be so attractive.” Since then, the woman's mugshot has been republished countless of times through sharing sites.
At first, the 28-year-old woman seemed to be enjoying the popularity, but in an April 2013 interview she revealed she had changed her mind about being an Internet sensation.
“It was nice and funny at first, and then it started getting scary because my address is on there. It's scary when people message you talking about coming to your house and what your house looks like. It's getting to the point where it's not funny [because] I have four little people to worry about, not just myself,” she said,
Now, she says the exposure has disturbed her peace of mind, invaded her privacy and caused her anguish. However, the publicity brought her a lot of fans, as she now has 1,182 followers on Instagram and 2,434 on Twitter.
InstantCheckmate.com hasn't issued any commentary on the matter so far.