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Insurer wins fight over cover for strip club’s use of models’ photos in ads - Business Insurance Skip to content Register for free Search Search Log In Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Insurer wins fight over cover for strip club’s use of models’ photos in ads by Richard Sine Claims Disputes Jul 15, 2026 A federal judge ruled that an insurer does not have to cover a settlement involving a Connecticut strip club accused of using professional models’ photos without permission in advertisements for parties and promotions. U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala ruled Friday in Nobriga et al. v. Clear Blue Specialty Insurance Co. that the Charlotte, North Carolina-based insurer had no duty to defend or indemnify Mr. Happy’s Café, a strip club in Waterbury, Connecticut. The six models alleged that the club used their images and likenesses in social media and website ads for events. After settling with the club, the club assigned its rights to pursue coverage from Clear Blue to the models. Clear Blue’s personal and advertising injury policy excluded “exhibitions and related marketing,” including the creation of media or “promotional events” and the use of “celebrity image of likeness.” The models argued the exclusion was so broad that it effectively rendered the coverage “illusory.” They also said “promotional events” should mean something separate from the business itself, such as a movie premiere or book launch. Judge Nagala rejected that argument, citing events such as Mr. Happy’s “Cinco de Mayo Party” with its alcohol discounts and a free taco bar, and the baseball night. “As Defendant points out, these advertisements were not ‘ordinary strip club evenings,’ but rather were ‘tied to a holiday or to a recurring weekly promotion,’ making them promotional events,” she wrote. The judge said the personal and advertising injury coverage was not “illusory” because it still applied to categories like malicious prosecution or slander. But she declined to decide whether the exclusion applied on the grounds that the models were “celebrities,” saying the policy did not sufficiently define the term. The models had appeared on “Deal or No Deal” and were “affiliated with Deepak Chopra,” but that wasn’t enough to settle the question of celebrity, the judge said. In recent years, models have filed a slew of lawsuits against clubs that lifted their images to promote events at which they didn’t appear. 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