Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Teri Hatcher sued by cosmetics company

Has Teri Hatcher been paying lip service to competing cosmetic companies? According to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the 42-year-old actress signed an "exclusive endorsement deal" with Hydroderm in 2005 – only to sing the praises of City Cosmetics. The Desperate Housewives star even posed for pictures applying CityLips pout plumper (a direct competitor to Hydroderm's Volumizing Lip Serum), the suit alleges. "Hatcher's name, image and likeness have been linked to so many competitors' products (at least 17!) that it is anyone's guess as to what product keeps her skin and lips youthful," said the lawsuit. The company is demanding a complete refund of the $2.4 million endorsement deal, plus $400,000 in expenses, all "due immediately." In a statement, Hatcher's legal representative called the allegations an "unjustified and public assault on Teri Hatcher's good name, reputation and celebrity." In addition to labeling the claims "totally false," the statement continued: "Ms. Hatcher will respond swiftly and decisively by appropriate legal means to recover everything she is owed under her contract, as well as compensatory and punitive damages for Hydroderm's outrageous accusations.