Saturday, April 08, 2006

Jessica Sued Over Fashion Choices


Jessica Simpson

As far as some of her business associates are concerned, Jessica Simpson is not exactly the employee of the month.

The "In This Skin" singer has been sued for $100 million by an apparel company that claims she failed to promote their product as promised, the Smoking Gun Website reports.

According to the complaint, filed in New York State Supreme Court by the Tarrant Apparel Group, Simpson inked a multimillion-dollar three-year licensing deal in December 2004 to launch a line of low-priced jeans and clothing.

Under the terms of the agreement, Simpson was supposed to be "actively involved" in promoting the garb, including wearing items from the line at "public events, shows and appearances" whenever "reasonably practicable."

Princy jeans, which are named after the nickname given to Simpson by her father, retail for around $60, while True Religion jeans can set the denim connoisseur back upwards of $350.

Tarrant claims Simpson's unwillingness to back the line crippled its marketing plan and caused it to lose valuable contracts with retailers.

According to its court documents, the company has already shelled out $2.2 million in licensing fees to the singer-actress and has agreed to another $6 million in guaranteed payments.

The ex-Newlyweds star, who's already balancing a jam-packed schedule, had not yet responded to the suit as of Friday.

In addition to her ongoing divorce proceedings from Nick Lachey, Simpson is currently in production on the comedy Employee of the Month opposite Dane Cook and Dax Shepard, and recently signed on to star in Major Movie Star, about an actress who hits rock bottom and enlists in the Marines. She is also rumored to have landed a role in the big-screen adaptation of Baywatch.

Meanwhile, she has also been in the studio working on her upcoming album And The Band Played On, which is expected to be released via her new label, Epic Records, sometime this year.
As if that weren't enough to keep a soon-to-be single girl occupied, Simpson has reportedly been channeling her inner Angelina Jolie by looking into adopting a baby sometime in the future, as well as possibly funding her own orphanage, her rep confirmed last month.

Source

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