Woody Allen must ‘prove his worth’

Woody Allen has been challenged by the US clothing chain American Apparel to prove his worth after the director filed a lawsuit against the company for using his image in an advertising campaign without his permission.

Allen filed the claim last year after stills of him dressed as a rabbi from his 1977 film Annie Hall appeared online and on billboards across New York and Los Angeles without his consent. According to the director, his appearance in a commercial would usually set advertisers back $10m but American Apparel aren't convinced and have demanded that the director proves it in court.

Lawyers representing American Apparel founder Dov Charney have requested to see proof that Allen is still able to command a "premium price" for celebrity endorsement deals. He may have made hit films like Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters and the recent Vicky Cristina Barcelona, but Charney's lawyers are arguing that the controversies in which he has been embroiled over the years - such as his custody battle with Mia Farrow and his subsequent romance with Farrow's adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn - have had a negative effect on his public image.

In a scathing response to Allen's suit, Stuart Slotnick, who is representing the clothing chain, told the New York Post: "We believe that Mr Allen's popularity has decreased significantly, especially in light of the scandals he's been associated with… We believe that he greatly overvalues the worth of his endorsement - if he can get one."