Clint Eastwood wins $6m in damages from CBD company in lawsuit

Clint Eastwood is just one of many celebrities who have had their images used to promote CBD companies in recent years despite not having an affiliation with the brand.

The actor Clint Eastwood was awarded $6.1 million on Friday in a lawsuit against a Lithuanian CBD company that was accused of using his image and likeness to endorse their products. Eastwood filed two lawsuits against three CBD manufacturers and marketers last year after they claimed he endorsed CBD products in an online article. He also filed against 10 online retailers who were accused of manipulating search results through their meta tags.

Clint Eastwood lawsuit

Eastwood’s lawyers filed an amended complaint in February 2021 against Mediatonas UAB, the company that owns the website where the stories appear. While the court was in agreement that he and Garrapata, the company that owns his image, were entitled to damages, they did not allow for defamation claims noting that the language used was not libellous. The company failed to respond to the summons issued last March.

Eastwood has no connection of any kind whatsoever to any CBD products, the plaintiffs said in court.

The original complaint, filed in July 2020, named as defendants the companies whose products were being advertised in the article. In February, Eastwood’s lawyers filed an amended complaint against Mediatonas UAB, the company that owns the websites where the false stories appear. They will also have to pick up the costs for Eastwood’s legal team.

The original story shared a false online interview that featured the actor claiming he had left filming to start a CBD line.

Clint Eastwood is not the only celebrity to have their image used to promote CBD brands they are not affiliated with. Tom Hanks, Russell Brand and Mary Berry have all found themselves advertising products online.

Celebrity endorsements

Celebrity endorsements can be used to make customers feel more confident about buying a product or a particular brand. Some celebrities do actually endorse CBD products such as Claudia Winkleman for Cannaray. She signed a deal with the company after revealing that she used CBD to combat stress during lock down.

Read more: 15 percent of remote workers used cannabis during lockdown