Fiji Water Countersues Fiji Water Girl!

Fiji Water fires back at “Fiji Water Girl” over her lawsuit!
As we reported, Kelleth Cuthbert — who went viral after she photobombed celebs at the 2019 Golden Globes — sued the brand and its parent organization, The Wonderful Company, for allegedly creating an unauthorized marketing campaign based off her Internet fame.
According to TMZ on Friday, the company filed a counter lawsuit against the actress — whose real name is Kelly Steinbach — saying she’s “bitten the hand that feeds her.”
Related: Get These Golden Globes Beauty Looks For Less $$$!
Per legal docs, Fiji accused Kelleth of attempting to extort the company for half a million dollars, and said the motivation behind her lawsuit is to simply get more money.
While Kelleth claimed she never gave them permission to use her likeness for an ad campaign that included cardboard cutouts, they said they negotiated with her a legitimate $90,000 brand ambassador deal.
However, they claim she tried to go around the agreement by “suing the very company that is entirely responsible for providing her the opportunity and the means to capitalize on her fleeting 15 minutes of internet fame.”
Fiji also said it has video and photo proof of Kelleth signing her contract, though she said the company “pressured [her] into video recording a fake signing of a fake document to simulate Steinbach signing on as a Fiji Water Ambassador.”
The brand is asking for her lawsuit to be dismissed, and want damages for the canceled campaign.
Later that day, the model’s lawyer, Kecia Reynolds, responded to the lawsuit with the following statement:

“Kelleth will not be bullied by Fiji Water, the Wonderful Company, or its billionaire owners.”

Kelleth and her legal team reiterated their point that “she is legally entitled to damages and profits from the use of her image. Fiji Water’s complaint is meritless and Kelleth is confident she will prevail in court.”
[Image via Kelleth Cuthbert/Instagram.]