Judge's Verdict Shocks: Ana De Armas/Yesterday Lawsuit Officially Dropped, Leaving Hollywood A-flutter

Summary

A lawsuit against Universal over a misleading trailer for the film Yesterday has been dismissed by a judge who deemed it a "self-inflicted injury".

Plaintiffs alleged that they were misled by Ana De Armas' presence in the trailer, only to discover her absence in the final film. However, the court determined that any additional changes to their complaint would be pointless.

This lawsuit brings up concerns about audience entitlement to unbiased advertising, but the judge ultimately ruled that the level of deception was insufficient to establish a valid legal claim.

A judge has officially dismissed a lawsuit related to a misleading trailer for the film Yesterday. Yesterday is a 2019 movie that tells the story of a struggling musician named Jack, who wakes up in a world where The Beatles never existed. He decides to sing their songs himself and present them as his own to boost his music career.

The lawsuit, which was filed four years after the film's release, focused on a misleading trailer that featured Ana De Armas but had her scenes removed in the final version. U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson dismissed the case, stating that the plaintiffs Paul Michael Rosza and Conor Wolfe's claim of "misrepresentation" was unfounded. Wilson agreed with Universal's defense that the plaintiffs had caused their own harm, leading to the dismissal of the lawsuit.

The Ana De Armas Yesterday Trailer Lawsuit Explained

In each previous instance of dismissal, the Court has explicitly identified the drawbacks of the complaint and granted subsequent amendments. Nonetheless, it has come to the attention of the Court that any further revisions would serve no purpose. Consequently, the dismissal is definitive, leaving no opportunity for future amendments. The Plaintiff has already modified their complaint thrice, and this shall mark the final instance.

The bizarre lawsuit in question emerged in 2021 following an incident involving the film Yesterday. After being captivated by a trailer that showcased a fleeting moment of De Armas capturing the protagonist Jack's affectionate gaze, Rosza and Woulfe proceeded to rent the movie via Amazon Prime Video. To their dismay, however, De Armas was conspicuously absent from the final version of Yesterday. In response, Rosza and Woulfe took legal action against Universal, demanding a staggering $5 million in damages. Their claim contended that the studio's marketing had been "false, misleading, and deceptive."

Rosza and Woulfe persevered, as mentioned by Wilson in his statement, by revising their claims even after they were dismissed by the court multiple times. In a specific amendment in 2022, Woulfe even attempted to assert "misrepresentations on Google" after renting the film again on Google Play. The judge criticized this amendment, stating that Woulfe failed to provide an explanation for believing that the version of Yesterday they accessed on Google Play would differ from the version they accessed on Amazon.

It appears that the dismissal of Rosza and Woulfe's lawsuit will finally bring it to a close. Despite the peculiar nature of this lawsuit, the Yesterday case raises intriguing questions about the rights of audiences to fair marketing. In 2021, De Armas was arguably a more prominent star compared to many other actors in the film. Consequently, teasing De Armas in a reduced role could mislead potential viewers of Yesterday. However, to Rosza and Woulfe's disappointment, the court ultimately deemed it insufficient to be considered deceptive.

Source: Deadline