The former stripper whose life inspired Jennifer Lopez’s 2019 film Hustlers is suing the singer/actor for $40m for plagiarising and misrepresenting her life.
Samantha Barbash filed a federal lawsuit against Jennifer Lopez’s production company Nuyorican Productions, STX Entertainment, Gloria Sanchez Productions, and Pole Sisters LLC, claiming they tried to exploit her likeness and story in the hit film Hustlers, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
She claims that they approached her repeatedly for her consent but she did not give it.
The film is based on a New York magazine’s 2015 article “The Hustlers at Scores: The Ex-Strippers Who Stole From (Mostly) Rich Men and Gave to, Well, Themselves” by Jessica Pressler.
The film tells the story of a group of New York strippers; led by Lopez’s Ramona. These strippers drugged and robbed a number of Wall Street bankers in the months after the 2008 stock market crash.
Barbash pleaded guilty to conspiracy, assault, and grand larceny for her role in the real-life scheme in 2016. She ultimately served five years of probation.
In the suit, Barbash reportedly alleges that a scene shows Ramona “using and manufacturing illegal substances in her home where she lived with her child”. She claimed that this was untrue and offensive.
Barbash’s lawyer Bruno V Gioffre Jr told Rolling Stone:
“My client is offended that the defendants used her likeness to make over $150m; defamed her character and tried to trick her into selling her rights to the production company for a mere $6,000.”
Barbash is asking for $40m in punitive and compensatory damages. In an interview with TMZ in September, Barbash said:
“They pretty much, basically, stole my story. I wouldn’t sign my rights away. I wasn’t giving up my film and TV rights for peanuts. J-Lo doesn’t work for free. Why would I?”
She added:
“J-Lo betrayed me since she didn’t even reach out to the woman that she’s portraying… People are going to see the movie because J-Lo’s on a stripper pole. I don’t even know how to do a – I’ve never been on a stripper pole like that in my life.”
This isn’t the first time a similar suit against a screen adaptation has been filed; The Wolf of Wall Street, Straight Outta Compton, Feud: Bette and Joan, and The Hurt Locker are recent examples of defamation suits. In all of these cases, the court ruled in favor of the creators of those movies and TV shows.
Lopez garnered a Golden Globe nom for her portrayal of Ramona. Soon, she’s expected to do the same for the 2020 Academy Awards.