BOCA RATON, Fla., June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The former Miss Vermont and Miss
Vermont USA, Katy Johnson, who won a preliminary injunction against a web site
that demeans women and promotes character assassination, is speaking out.
According to Ms. Johnson, Tucker Max exploited her image and published
scurrilous lies about her on his web site just to sell T-shirts and other
merchandise. Last month, a Florida judge ordered a temporary injunction
against Max forcing him to take down all references to "Katy Johnson" and
"Miss Vermont" on his web site. "I feel vindicated by the judge's decision,
and I hope this suit will put an end to the ugly untruths he parades on this
reprehensible web site. Since the lawsuit began, I have been contacted by
other victims of his lies who have offered their support," said Ms. Johnson.
Ms. Johnson says Max's assertions published on his web site that she is a
"whore" and a "prostitute" are malicious, false and hurtful. She vehemently
denies the story about her on the web site.
"I never intended to be a champion of privacy rights or become involved in
First Amendment issues; to me this is about Right vs. Wrong, and he was wrong
to attack my reputation on the Internet for no other reason than his own
commercial gain."
Ms. Johnson says that she did not file the lawsuit out of vengeance but to
stop further damage to her reputation and others. Her biggest concern was
that little girls trying to visit her web site to see the Starrlettes or Miss
Vermont web sites for pageant information were being diverted by search
engines to Max's depraved web site.
She filed the lawsuit under FL Statutes 540.08, which prevents
unauthorized use of name or likeness and provides for punitive damages and
royalties, in order to get swift justice through an injunction and conclude
the lawsuit quickly. Ms. Johnson says that Max has willfully violated the
injunction since it was issued, and she intends to go back to court to find
him in contempt. "This person is greatly harming me by the way he is
associating my name with his immoral web site and the disgusting products he
promotes."
Ms. Johnson, a member of MENSA, is a columnist for Pageantry Magazine and
author of "True Beauty: A Sunny Face Means A Happy Heart." She will be
appearing on the MTV documentary "MADE" on June 28, as a coach who has one
month to turn a tomboy into a beauty queen. Katy's cartoon web site
http://www.katyjohnson.com promotes character for 8 to 12-year-old girls through her
Starrlettes comic strip.
Contact: Glen Calder at (561) 750-9800 ext. 16
gcalder@transmediagroup.com
SOURCE Katy Johnson
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Related links:
http://www.katyjohnson.com
CONTACT:
Glen Calder, TransMedia, +1-561-750-9800,
ext.16, or gcalder@transmediagroup.com, for Katy Johnson
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