Kokomo Tribune
October 31, 1989
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Entertainer Bette Midler will be $400,000 richer thanks to a jury award against an advertising agency for imitating her voice in a TV commercial, but she called it a victory for ethics.
A U.S. District Court jury . decided Monday that Young & Rubicam violated Midler’s rights by imitating her voice . In a statement, the
agency called the award “unfortunate but bearable.”
“I hope my victory will in a small way contribute to higher ethical standards in the advertising field,” Midler said in a statement.
“I also hope it will cause companies to pause before they knowingly and willfully trod on the property rights of others.”
At the trial, 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.
Midler, who has appeared in such films as “Beaches” and “Outrageous Fortune,” filed the lawsuit against Young & Rubicam seeking $2.5 million in damages. A claim by Midler against Ford was rejected last week.
