Actor Clint Eastwood and the company that administers his personality rights were awarded nearly $6.1 million in a lawsuit against a European cannabis provider that claimed the star endorsed some of its products.
The Lithuanian companies Mediatonas UAB and Sera Labs reportedly used Eastwood's name and likness in fake news articles and interviews purporting the actor used and endorsed their CBD products. The articles went as far to suggest the Academy Award-winner was quitting the film business to produce and sell CBD himself.
CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a cannabis plant extract that does not contain THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that produces a high. CBD is often used to treat anxiety, stress, insomnia and a variety of other conditions.
Eastwood's complaint also alleged that the Lithuanian companies employed a programming code that inserted his name into online search results for CBD products, tricking consumers into believing he was endorsing their use.
"Mr. Eastwood has no connection of any kind whatsoever to any CBD products," the star's attorneys wrote in court documents.
Eastwood and his co-plaintiff filed a motion for default judgment in May, after which Sera Labs filed an answer. Mediotonas did not respond, which resulted in a federal court's $6 million judgment and an award of $95,000 in attorney's fees to the plaintiffs.
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