A Couple is Suing “A Gronking To Remember” Author for Using Their Engagement Photo
Announcer: It’s Quinn and Cantara on PYX 106.
Cantara: It’s 1-800-LAW-1010. 1800law1010.com. God, I should have read this book. Chas Farcher from Martin, Harding & Mazzotti is joining us to talk about “A Gronking to Remember.” I remember when it came out, gronk was reading some of it.
Quinn: Yeah, right, right, right.
Cantara: Hi, Chaz.
Chaz: Hey, good morning, gentlemen. How are you?
Cantara: Who’s suing who in this book thing?
Quinn: Sounds like the couple is suing, right?
Cantara: I don’t know.
Chaz: With a title like that, everybody deserves to be sued. There is a couple who’s on the cover of this book. They are unwittingly, unknowingly, on the cover of this book. They took some engagement photos out in Ohio, they put their photos on the internet, an author writes this masterpiece “A Gronking to Remember.” He uses their photo to put on the cover of his book, he thinks it fits well the stories about a married woman who’s obsessed with Rob Gronkowski. Who isn’t? And the couple finds out that it’s their engagement photo on the cover of this book even though it’s not quite where they wanted to be. So they’ve sued the author, as well as a bunch of corporate defendants: Amazon, Kindle, and other people who they claim have published the book.
Quinn: Is the lawsuit finished? Or is it in progress?
Chaz: It is still in progress. The couple just lost part of the case, and I guess one part of the case. The corporate defendants were just let out of the case. So Amazon and Kindle and those guys are out. The author is still in. Essentially, the court said that, you know, although they did put the book, or the book was on their website, they didn’t publish it. They didn’t have any creative rights to the book. The author was the one who selected the photo. If there’s a liable party, it’s him.
Cantara: I’m more concerned about Gronkowski himself. Is he okay with this book? He doesn’t have a hand in this book, right?
Chaz: I’ll tell you what. I was at the game on Sunday and he had two or three touchdowns. He looked okay despite how terrible the book appears to be.
Cantara: He had two touchdowns, huh? Two touchdowns.
Chaz: Yeah, I was in the lion’s den. I was thinking of you guys.
Quinn: But listen, let me put this back on Cantara for a second. Say someone grabbed a picture of you and Sarah, you know, getting married or something.
Cantara: I’d be pissed.
Quinn: You’d be furious, right?
Cantara: I would call Chaz.
Quinn: Yeah, and you would want to sue everybody possible, I imagine. Right, Chaz?
Cantara: First and foremost, I would want my picture taken away from being seen.
Quinn: More importantly than getting…than repercussions, you want that picture out of there?
Cantara: Well, yeah, I mean I don’t like my picture being…I don’t even like when my wife posts photos of me.
Quinn: Yeah, I know. I know.
Cantara: You know? So I don’t want to be on a book.
Quinn: But is that why there’s so many people in the lawsuit? Do you just go after everybody in a situation like this?
Chaz: No, I think the corporate defendants are in there because they’re the deep pocket. If you can hold them in, you know you’re going to recover a ton of money. If you only have the author, then you’re probably stuck with, you know, whatever income assets they have. I don’t know if there is or isn’t insurance to cover an issue like this. There might be. Sometimes they have errors and omissions insurance, but, you know, otherwise you’re stuck with just the author. And even though “A Gronking to Remember,” I’m sure, is on the top 10 list, I don’t know if it’s as profitable as, say, a company like Amazon or something, where you know there’s guaranteed money at the end of the day.
Cantara: You keep knocking Gronkowski. Your quarterback just hit 100 losses last Thursday. One hundred losses.
Chaz: It’s not about Gronkowski.
Quinn: Wow.
Chaz: And by the way, that’s a milestone, okay? It’s not about Gronkowski, it’s about “A Gronking to Remember.”
Cantara: Oh, your phone’s cutting out at the best time possible. What was that?
Chaz: It’s the title of the book that I can’t get past.
Quinn: You’d think they would have pulled a photo of a couple at least in New England, though. You know? Just so if you’re going to…pull a photo of somebody in New England and maybe they’re a fan, but this was, like, Ohio or something.
Cantara: The lesson is don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s probably, like, god damn “War and Peace” on the inside.
Quinn: No, we’ve heard pieces of it. I don’t think so. Chaz Farcher.
Cantara: You’re the best.
Quinn: Thanks, buddy. 1-800-LAW-1010. 1800law1010.com.
Cantara: Thanks, Chaz.
Chaz: Have a great day, guys.
Quinn: Take care, brother. It’s PYX 106.
Announcer: Quinn and Cantara. Mornings on PYX 106.