ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Mark and Patricia McCloskey are now suing UPI staff photographer Bill Greenblatt as well as the United Press International and a print-on demand company, Redbubble for trespassing, invasion of privacy, emotional distress and misappropriation of their name and likeness.
The suit calls Greenblatt a trespasser who ignored their requests to leave the couple's property during a protest last June during which the McCloskeys claim an angry mob broke through a gate and walked down the private street threatening them.
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In the 11-page lawsuit, they call the defendant's behavior outrageous, atrocious, intolerable and beyond all reasonable bounds of decency. The suit also wants ownership of the now infamous photo saying Greenblatt and UPI knew or should have known dissemination of the photo to third parties would cause severe emotional distress.
The suit demands a jury trial and $25,000 for each of the four counts.
The lawsuit comes after Greenblatt sent the Central West End couple an invoice for $1,500 because they used his copywritten photo of them in a greeting card.
The couple was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with evidence for waving their guns at the protestors. They have pleaded not guilty.
KMOX has reached out to UPI about the lawsuit and is awaiting comment.
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