Daily Herald Suburban Chicago
October 31, 1989
LOS ANGELES – Entertainer Bette Midler should get $400,000 from an advertising agency that imitated the Grammy-winning singer’s voice in a TV commercial, a federal jury ruled Monday.
The jury decided Young & Rubicam violated Miss Midler’s rights by imitating her voice. Midler testified, “I don’t do commercials,” and said one of her former backup singers was hired to perform the song “Do You Wanna Dance?” for a 1986 Mercury Sable car commercial after she turned down a request from Ford Motor Co.