Kim Kardashian West suing Alabama doctor over ‘vampire facial’ advertising

Kim Kardashian West

Kim Kardashian West, seen here in a 2018 photo. (Evan Agostini | Invision/AP)Invision

Kim Kardashian West had filed suit against an Alabama doctor for using her name and likeness to advertise “vampire facials.”

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court Central District of California, accuses Dr. Charles Runels of the Cellular Medicine Association in Fairhope of using her name and image to promote the procedure and his licensing business, Hollywood Reporter reported.

Kardashian West underwent a vampire facial in 2013 while filming the reality show “Kourtney and Kim Take Miami.” She later was “horrified” to discover her name and likeness were being used on Runels’ website, www.vampirefacial.com, the lawsuit claims.

"The defendants’ use of Ms. Kardashian’s name and likeness is not, and never has been, authorized. The defendants have never sought Ms. Kardashian’s permission to use her as a ‘face’ for their products and services, and Ms. Kardashian has never given such permission,” it continued.

The suit alleges copyright infringement, infringement of registered mark, false association, violation of the right of publicity and California common law trademark infringement.

In a statement to E! News, Runels said the name “Vampire Facial” is his intellectual property and it was used on the television show without permission.

"I feel like this is someone shaking down some little doctor for something that is public knowledge,” he said.

In a Dec. 10 blog post, however, Runels said he was removing all mentions of “Kardashian-West’s name and all images of her face from his websites--as if she never had the procedure at all.”

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