The St. Louis couple who made headlines for brandishing guns at protesters walking down their street have filed a lawsuit on Friday against the photographer who photographed them.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, both in their 60’s, who have a history of suing their neighbors, filed the suit against United Press International and photographer Bill Greenblatt. The pair are claiming that Greenblatt trespassed to get the snapshots.
The basis of their argument is that their $1.15 million house sits on a private road. The protesters were trespassing on the private drive, along with the photographer. Therefore the photographer would not be taking the photographs in a public right of way.
The McCloskey’s claim the photos contributed to their “significant national recognition and infamy.” Additionally, they are suing Redbubble Inc., an online marketplace for print-on-demand merchandise base on user-submitted artwork. They claim that Redbubble, Greenblatt, and UPI profited from “t-shirts, masks, and other items, and licensing use of photographs bearing Plaintiffs’ likenesses, without obtaining Plaintiffs’ consent.”
The suit alleges that the merchandise on Redbubble was mocking in nature, causing them “humiliation, mental anguish, and severe emotional distress.”
UPI is considering taking action of their own by sending a cease and desist letter to the McCloskey’s. The pair have used the photograph on a personal greeting card.
The incident occurred on June 28, 2020, when the McCloskey’s were waving guns at protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson’s house. Krewson angered residents after releasing the names and addresses of people who called for defunding the police department. The protest was part of the nationwide demonstrations after Minneapolis police officers killed George Floyd.
The two pleaded not guilty last month to charges of unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering in connection with the incident.
