THE actress Catherine Zeta Jones was accused of over-zealousbusiness behaviour yesterday after a heated argument erupted betweenher and a cosmetics company.
The Hollywood star, wife of the actor/producer Michael Douglas, isdemanding $5 million from Caudalie, a French firm that specialises infacial cream and beauty treatments.
Zeta Jones, 33, is reportedly seething after an item on thecompany's website advertised that she said she liked the company'sproducts - a claim she says is false.
She has instructed lawyers to send a series of threatening lettersdemanding compensation from the Paris-based firm, according to a USreport.
The Welsh-born actress was said by a fashion magazine to have sungCaudalie's praises after visiting its vinotherapy spa near Bordeaux,France, last year.
Caudalie makes beauty products using grape polyphenols, a provenantitoxidant, which is the latest fad in face cream ingredients.
"When Caudalie director Mathilde Cathiard innocently posted ZetaJones' remark on her site, the actress went ballistic - despite thefact that it had already appeared in the magazine," the New York Postreported. The star of films such as Mask of Zorro and America'sSweethearts was concerned that "apparently plugging other company'sproducts" violates the terms of her lucrative contract with anothercosmetics company, Elizabeth Arden, the newspaper reported.
She immediately fired off an angry letter, allegedly demandingremuneration to the tune of $5million.
Ms Cathiard is said to have apologised for any confusion andimmediately removed the offending article from her company's internetsite. But this failed to satisfy the actress's lawyers, who havepersisted with the legal action.
"It's a crazy thing," Ms Cathiard's sister and partner, AliceCathiard said yesterday. "We're very disappointed. We are a smallfamily firm and it's such a huge sum, we just don't know what to do."
Representatives for Zeta Jones - who once dated John Leslie, thetelevision star accused of sexually assaulting the TV star UlrikaJonsson - had no immediate comment on the matter.
The star of the hit television series Darling Buds of May marriedDouglas, who at 57 is 34 year her senior, in a lavish ceremony in NewYork nearly two years ago. Zeta Jones announced last week that thecouple are expecting their second child.
No comments:
Post a Comment