Skip to main content

Lindsay Lohan allowed to sue Rockstar Games over GTA V character, court says

Lindsay Lohan will be allowed to sue Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games and publisher Take-Two Interactive over a character from Grand Theft Auto V, which she believes was modeled off of her likeness and used without her permission, a New York State Supreme Court justice ruled Friday.

Lohan sued Take-Two in 2014 over Grand Theft Auto V character Lacey Jonas, the blonde woman prominently featured in the game’s box art and marketing materials. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lohan’s lawsuit claimed that the character is based off a photograph of her taken in 2007. Despite her prominent placement in the game’s marketing, Jonas is a fairly minor character — players meet the famous actress during a mission where they are tasked with helping her escape paparazzi.

Recommended Videos

Take-Two Interactive initially responded to the lawsuit by accusing Lohan as a “legally meritless” publicity stunt. The publisher also noted that Lohan has filed frivolous lawsuits in the past, such as when she attempted to sue rapper Pitbull over his lyrics. Lohan followed up by filing a much larger, more detailed version of the lawsuit.

In her decision, Judge Joan Kennedy said that Lohan’s statement showed enough evidence that to allow the lawsuit to move forward, and that Rockstar did not provide sufficient evidence to prove that the character was not based on Lohan. Kennedy also rejected the argument that Lohan should not be allowed to sue because the lawsuit was filed more than a year after the artwork was publicly released.

Since the decision was released, Grand Theft Auto V fans did not respond well to hearing that the lawsuit was not rejected out of hand, with reactions on Twitter calling the lawsuit “stupid” and referring to the actress as a “bimbo.” Voice actor Ned Luke, who played GTA V protagonist Michael, reacted to the news with a tweet comparing Lohan to a cow.

It's a stretch but MAYBE there's a resemblance. #LindsayIsNuts https://t.co/x3IQppzXSK pic.twitter.com/GfUi5gMlMf

— Ned Luke (@ned_luke) March 14, 2016

Despite not having the public — at least not the gaming public — on her side, it appears Lohan will have her day in court.

Mike Epstein
Former Associate Editor, Gaming
Michael is a New York-based tech and culture reporter, and a graduate of Northwestwern University’s Medill School of…
Grand Theft Auto 5 story DLC was cut due to ‘cash cow’ GTA Online, dev says
Trevor firing an assault rifle in GTA 5.

Despite us being close to the Grand Theft Auto 6 launch, we're still getting news and anecdotes from Grand Theft Auto 5's development. According to a former Rockstar Games developer, the game was set to get a story DLC, but that it was canceled in favor of GTA Online.

Joe Rubino guested on the SanInPlay YouTube channel, and you can watch the whole interview below. Rubino, who was an editor and did second-unit directing on the DLC, described it as "kickass" and "awesome," but said that the success of GTA Online meant leaders at the company didn't think it was worth investing in both projects. He didn't offer up details on specifics, but said that Trevor actor Steven Ogg was involved.

Read more
The best GTA 5 roleplay servers
A police shootout in GTA 5.

We all love GTA 5 for letting us live out our more chaotic and destructive fantasies, but you aren't just limited to being a criminal in the world Rockstar Games has created. The single-player version is packed with content, but jumping online is where the possibilities really open up. Role-play servers, also called RP servers, modify the game and rules, with players expected to fully commit to whatever character they choose to embody. If you're a cop, you shouldn't be recklessly driving and shooting civilians, for example. You can't expect to randomly jump into an online lobby and have everyone follow the rules, though. You will need to join very specific RP servers to get the true experience. While we wait for GTA 6, here are the best role-play servers out there.

Note that all RP servers are accessed through either the FiveM or Rage MP clients. You will need to download them separately.
NoPixel

Read more
GTA Online players can set up a bounty hunting business in huge summer update
Two GTA Online characters in body armor standing in front of a jail cell with a person in it.

GTA Online is getting a huge update this summer that includes plenty of quality-of-life improvements. More importantly, it's giving players even more to do if they want to play around with their own definition of morality and justice.

While the update doesn't have a release date or window yet, Rockstar Games introduced some details in a blog post published Wednesday. Arguably, the biggest addition is the ability to set up your own bounty hunting and bail enforcement business. You'll also be able to help Vincent out with a bunch of off-the-books missions across Los Santos.

Read more