Kat Benzova sues GNR/Fernando for copyright infringement and sexual harassment

[VampireSoul]

It's risky for Kat's career to just throw out accusations without proof, bands do follow this shit and how a photographer operates. I (as a concert/band photographer myself)  do think it's odd she says she was a freelancer during the whole 10 years, while being paid for the job and photos travel etc.. Usually that means the band owns the photos you take and they paid for. Who pays good money to a photographer to follow them around and have exclusive access to the band, just to not own said photos? Of course the photographer should always be credited, regardless of ownership, but it all sounds odd to me.. Maybe it's a US thing or just poorly managed, no contracts and agreements. 

Edited November 14, 2023 by VampireSoul

[IzzysMissy]

Just now, VampireSoul said:

It's risky for Kat's career to just throw out accusations without proof, bands do follow this shit and how a photographer operates. I (as a concert/band photographer myself)  do think it's odd she says she was a freelancer during the whole 20 years, while being paid for the job and photos travel etc.. Usually that means the band owns the photos you take and they paid for. Who pays good money to a photographer to follow them around and have exclusive access to the band, just to not own said photos? Of course the photographer should always be credited, regardless of ownership, but it all sounds odd to me.. Maybe it's a US thing or just poorly managed, no contracts and agreements. 

The no contracts/freelancer thing is VERY MUCH an American thing to avoid giving get benefits. Spot on comment though… she’d never throw these  accusations out without proof, and lawyers would be hesitant to take this on considering it’s such a huge band. Well, good lawyers at least… as someone said earlier, here we thought it would all be boring post tour.. nope, Fernando had to go ahead and fuck with the legacy.

[ZoSoRose]

3 minutes ago, VampireSoul said:

It's risky for Kat's career to just throw out accusations without proof, bands do follow this shit and how a photographer operates. I (as a concert/band photographer myself)  do think it's odd she says she was a freelancer during the whole 10 years, while being paid for the job and photos travel etc.. Usually that means the band owns the photos you take and they paid for. Who pays good money to a photographer to follow them around and have exclusive access to the band, just to not own said photos? Of course the photographer should always be credited, regardless of ownership, but it all sounds odd to me.. Maybe it's a US thing or just poorly managed, no contracts and agreements. 

Honestly, this would just be a financial dispute I wouldn't think too much of if it wasn't for the sexual harassment allegations. 

[weaponsnflowers]

Aaaaand it's goodbye to any new album releases from Gnr. Calling it now. The sexual harrassment may or may not have happened, but it sure makes media more interested about this case, it's trendy. 

[ZoSoRose]

1 minute ago, weaponsnflowers said:

Aaaaand it's goodbye to any new album releases from Gnr. Calling it now. The sexual harrassment may or may not have happened, but it sure makes media more interested about this case, it's trendy. 

What new album release? 

[weaponsnflowers]

2 minutes ago, ZoSoRose said:

What new album release? 

The coulda, woulda, shoulda that now lives in a van down by the river. Broken by years of litigation.

[Blackstar]

GN'R's (touring entity) original lawsuit document:

https://www.docdroid.net/ecAH9bW/20231024-lawsuit-gundam-touring-services-us-llc-v-benzova-pdf

[Rindmelon]

6 minutes ago, weaponsnflowers said:

Aaaaand it's goodbye to any new album releases from Gnr. Calling it now. The sexual harrassment may or may not have happened, but it sure makes media more interested about this case, it's trendy. 

outside of the single coming out i think we can wave goodbye to any new music being released for a looooong time if at all. not including any leaks of course.

1 minute ago, Blackstar said:

GN'R's (touring entity) original lawsuit document:

https://www.docdroid.net/ecAH9bW/20231024-lawsuit-gundam-touring-services-us-llc-v-benzova-pdf

out of reactions. Thanks for this

[meadsoap]

39 minutes ago, vloors said:

If Axl/gnr want to shield from bad publicity and save face,  then the right thing to do is immediately fire or stand down fernando and team brazil.

Counterpoint... when has GN'R (or Axl specifically) ever cared about bad publicity? The threat of bad press has never persuaded Axl to do anything in his life, ever. If it did, Axl's whole career would have been completely different.

Fernando will stay. Whether it's the right thing to do or not, it's a forgone conclusion.

Edited November 14, 2023 by meadsoap

[Blackstar]

This is all very serious (and horrible).

However, all the comments that this maybe be the end of GN'R and that there won't be any more releases or touring etc., are too dramatic and overstated.

[Georgina Arriaga]

37 minutes ago, vloors said:

If Axl/gnr want to shield from bad publicity and save face,  then the right thing to do is immediately fire or stand down fernando and team brazil.

Live Nation and UMG could pressure Axl to do It...even Slash AND Duff

[jacdaniel]

11 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

This is all very serious (and horrible).

However, all the comments that this maybe be the end of GN'R and that there won't be any more releases or touring etc., are too dramatic and overstated.

You’re probably right. But TB are Axls family and he’s a very sensitive person. He’s quite reclusive as it is. Could see him just disappearing for a long spell to avoid all this if it blows up. 

[weaponsnflowers]

9 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

This is all very serious (and horrible).

However, all the comments that this maybe be the end of GN'R and that there won't be any more releases or touring etc., are too dramatic and overstated.

Maybe. But with how shady (at least to outside) it is to have this "family" around a multi million dollar rock star, it's ripe for a true crime story. With pressure mounting who knows what can happen. Maybe nothing.

[colonizedmind]

Oh jesus...

Is this our out? Finally an out!?! 

 

Edit: oh yea, nah.....he lives with his mother....

 

Edited November 14, 2023 by colonizedmind

[Ratam]

2 hours ago, IzzysMissy said:

Wait… seriously??? 
 

re: the DiCaprio stuff? I’ve always felt sorry for Axl being alone, he doesn’t strike me the type but whatever. Would these leeches even have gotten an invite to the DiCaprio party otherwise??

ugh now I gotta go google this shit instead of working 🤣

You need go to Official GNR thread. @Blackstar posted an Vanessa Insta post about the Di Caprio party.

[HWolllert]

1 minute ago, weaponsnflowers said:

The sexual harrassment may or may not have happened, but it sure makes media more interested about this case, it's trendy. 

It is and it's classical #metoo - territory. 

[gavgnr]

This’ll be yesterday’s news before we know it. She’ll get some hush money and everything will carry on as normal. Seems kinda odd that this shit comes out not long after the tour finished?

[colonizedmind]

2 minutes ago, gavgnr said:

This’ll be yesterday’s news before we know it. She’ll get some hush money and everything will carry on as normal. Seems kinda odd that this shit comes out not long after the tour finished?

Yea...little late on firing the cannonball! Wonder if she's coming for Tyler next? She was Aerosmiths photographer too...

[Tom2112]

Yeah he comes off particularly bad in all of the above. 

I'm just judging all of this from the messages he wrote on here and discord. He came off as an arrogant asshole. To me it seemed like the reunion had gone to his head and all these allegations scream of what happens when you put someone in charge that isn't fit for the job. 

I imagine GNR will be silent about all of this, but they should go the way of Mustaine and fire him immediately and get away from the mess. Obviously Axl is so intangled with TB that I don't know how he can fire Fernando and not risk losing his support network, but I just don't see how Fernando can stay employed even if only 50% of this is true.

We don't know him personally, but obviously we all got the same impression from him... He doesn't seem like a great guy, I wanted to give him and his family the benefit of the doubt but this kind of treatment of workers is unacceptable. Hard to imagine the band aren't aware of what was going on, unless they are completely separated and unreachable by anyone but management 

[Sweersa]

Not surprising, if true. He's more of a scrum bag than I had thought. 

[weaponsnflowers]

1 minute ago, Tom2112 said:

Yeah he comes off particularly bad in all of the above. 

I'm just judging all of this from the messages he wrote on here and discord. He came off as an arrogant asshole. To me it seemed like the reunion had gone to his head and all these allegations scream of what happens when you put someone in charge that isn't fit for the job. 

I imagine GNR will be silent about all of this, but they should go the way of Mustaine and fire him immediately and get away from the mess. Obviously Axl is so intangled with TB that I don't know how he can fire Fernando and not risk losing his support network, but I just don't see how Fernando can stay employed even if only 50% of this is true.

We don't know him personally, but obviously we all got the same impression from him... He doesn't seem like a great guy, I wanted to give him and his family the benefit of the doubt but this kind of treatment of workers is unacceptable. Hard to imagine the band aren't aware of what was going on, unless they are completely separated and unreachable by anyone but management 

This. That's why this could turn into a real shit show. If he does get fired, and he is high on ego and coke, it's gonna be lawsuit against Axl for sure. Isn't that what pretty much always happens in showbiz? Sued and countersued.

[Tom2112]

35 minutes ago, meadsoap said:

Counterpoint... when has GN'R (or Axl specifically) ever cared about bad publicity? The threat of bad press has never persuaded Axl to do anything in his life, ever. If it did, Axl's whole career would have been completely different.

Fernando will stay. Whether it's the right thing to do or not, it's a forgone conclusion.

It's not the bad press. It would be the abuse of power and abuse of a woman who was personally hired by Axl.

Let's see how it develops. I'd expect Fernando to have some big shit lawyers that will try and paint her in the most negative light possible. I'd also expect any negative Kat stories to be coming indirectly through the Jarmos of this world as well as well hidden Reddit and discord accounts 

[Ratam]

2 minutes ago, weaponsnflowers said:

This. That's why this could turn into a real shit show. If he does get fired, and he is high on ego and coke, it's gonna be lawsuit against Axl for sure. Isn't that what pretty much always happens in showbiz? Sued and countersued.

Or make up things about Axl too... at tlmes happen it about ex managers.

[Tom2112]

3 minutes ago, weaponsnflowers said:

This. That's why this could turn into a real shit show. If he does get fired, and he is high on ego and coke, it's gonna be lawsuit against Axl for sure. Isn't that what pretty much always happens in showbiz? Sued and countersued.

Guns n roses the entity might get sued, and that would name Axl, slash and Duff but I don't see Axl being personally sued unless he was somehow instructing Fernando to withhold money and telling him to pursue her... Which is so far from a realistic possibility. 

I think Axl assumed Kat was being paid and being treated professionally.

[TiedHands]

Further proof that backs up my opinion that TB is a cancer to Axl and GNR.