Skip to main content

Actress loses lawsuit against IMDB for revealing her age

imdbhoangOn the Internet, the truth will come out – or, at least, it will when it comes to the true ages of television and movie actors. A Seattle court ruled last week against the actress suing the Internet Movie Database for revealing that she was, in fact, 42 years old, with the jury deciding that the site hadn’t broken any laws in doing so.

Admittedly, by the time of verdict, the lawsuit brought by Huong “Junie” Hoang had undergone more than a few twists and turns. Hoang initially filed the case anonymously, with the lawsuit citing that it was brought by a woman “of Asian descent.” The original incarnation of the suit claimed breach of contract, fraud, and violation of privacy on IMDb’s part, and asked for at least $1 million dollars in damages as well as a restraining order against the site.

Unfortunately, the anonymity didn’t sit well with U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pachman, who ordered the actress to either refile the case under her real name or see it dismissed entirely, stating that “the injury she fears is not severe enough to justify permitting her to proceed anonymously.” When Hoang revealed her identity, Judge Pachman allowed the case to proceed, but only in part; the claims of fraud were tossed out, as were Hoang’s claim that IMDb was violating the Washington Privacy Act by disclosing her age. Pachman also objected to the $1 million baseline for Hoang’s suit. That was far from the biggest bump in the road for Hoang, however; that came when her attorney died suddenly last August in the middle of litigating the case.

As the suit moved forward, Hoang’s new attorneys sought to increase the scope of the case by involving other actors whose careers had supposedly been hurt by revealing their true ages. Interestingly enough, IMDb’s response was to simultaneously take the high and low roads, protecting itself by pointing out that it was merely engaged in what its lawyer reportedly called “a search for truth,” as opposed to trying to manipulate others with fake information – something that, it claimed, Hoang was trying to do by hiding how old she was from potential employers.

Hoang’s initial complaint had rested on the idea that, as she put it, “in the entertainment industry, youth is king.” Under that mindset, the need to hide your true age is somewhat understandable, if hardly something that many would be eager to defend in a courtroom setting.

Ultimately, the jury sided with IMDb, and ruled against Hoang. What will be interesting to see is whether Hoang’s career will be affected by this lawsuit at all. At the very least, it’s raised her profile more than any of her actual work – but she can rest assured that almost everyone knows her age regardless of what she original sought not to share.

Topics
Graeme McMillan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A transplant from the west coast of Scotland to the west coast of America, Graeme is a freelance writer with a taste for pop…
Bruins vs Panthers live stream: Can you watch for free?
FLA Live Arena before Florida Panthers NHL game.

In a matchup that could very well determine this year's Atlantic Division champions in the NHL, the Boston Bruins head to Amerant Bank Arena to face off against the Florida Panthers. They enter this one tied at 97 points apiece, though Florida has an extra game in hand.

If you want to watch the game, you better pick a streaming option below soon, as it starts at 7:00 p.m. ET. It will be televised locally only on NESN (Bruins markets) and Bally Sports Florida (Panthers markets). But if you don't have those channels or you live out of market, there are some different ways you can watch a live stream.
Is There a Free Bruins vs Panthers Live Stream?

Read more
Warriors vs Heat live stream: Can you watch for free?
Stephen Curry holds his follow through after shooting a basketball.

Suddenly fighting for their postseason lives with a red-hot Rockets team closing in on them, the Golden State Warriors head to Miami for an important showdown against the Heat today.

The game is starting very soon, at 7:30 p.m. ET, so pick a streaming option below quickly. It will be televised locally only on NBC Sports Bay Area (Warriors markets) and Bally Sports Sun (Heat markets), but there are also a handful of different ways you can watch a free live stream of the game from anywhere in the US.
Is There a Free Warriors vs Heat Live Stream?

Read more
The 10 most popular TV shows on Netflix right now
A man and two women stand in the sand and stare.

Exploring the thousands of titles on Netflix can be both exciting and overwhelming. Content of all types abounds, from dramas and comedies to reality shows and documentaries. It's a good thing there's a list to help narrow your decision by letting you see the most popular Netflix shows. That's right, every week, Netflix releases its list of the 10 most-watched TV shows over a recent seven-day period.

The biggest arrival to this week's chart is 3 Body Problem, the first TV series for David Benioff and D. B. Weiss since Game of Thrones ended in 2019. Despite the popularity of 3 Body Problem, Dick Wolf's Homicide: New York edged out the sci-fi series for the top spot. Other new shows this week: Physical: 100 season 2, Brian Simpson: Live from the Mothership, and The Resident season 1. Below, we have listed the top 10 shows in the U.S. from March 18 to March 24, along with general information about each show, including genre, rating, cast, and synopsis.

Read more