Spitzer Call Girl Ashley Dupre Files $10Million Lawsuit Against 'Girls Gone Wild' Founder
Ashley Alexandra Dupre
April 28, 2008
By Hollie McKay
LOS ANGELES —
Ashley Dupre became a household name after the exposure of her alleged sex-service relationship with New York's former governor, Eliot Spitzer. But while his life and career appear to be in ruins in the wake of the randy revelations, Dupre's bank balance may soon be booming.One source of cash could be the $10 million lawsuit she has filed against the founder of "Girls Gone Wild" in federal court in Miami Monday, according to The Associated Press.
Dupre claims that Joe Francis is exploiting her name and image from video footage, saying she was only 17 when the videos were taken in 2003 in Miami Beach and not old enough to sign a contract. Francis couldn't be reached for comment.
The news comes on the heels of reports that the New Jersey-born call girl has been offered big bucks from numerous men's magazines to get down and dirty, including a $1 million paycheck from Francis to take the cover of his first-ever "Girls Gone Wild" magazine this month. (Francis rescinded the offer once he realized he already had several films in which Dupre appeared.)
The now 22-year-old only got a T-shirt for flashing her flesh in those videos from 2003. So thanks to "Client #9," Ashley's earning power has come a long way. And now, Francis' good friend Dennis Hof, owner of the big-wig BunnyRanch brothel in Nevada, wants to be hooked up with the sex scandal star, too.
"I've offered Ashley a quarter of million salary to come and work for me here," Hof told Pop Tarts, adding that he was hoping to negotiate the deal with Dupre in the next few weeks. "I've also offered a free lifetime pass for Mr. Spitzer; we're still waiting for a response.
"We call him the 'No Glove Love Gov,' but we've given out passes to people who are a lot more important and high-profile than he is," the hooker-house owner added.
So if Ashley does decide to bounce on board the BunnyRanch, Hof claims that he will turn her image from "dirty" to dazzling — but he had some harsh words for her, too.
"My girls are rock stars; they have class. Right now, Ashley is just a dirty girl who knew that what she was doing in New York and D.C. was illegal," he said.
"If she wanted to be in the sex trade, she could have come to Nevada where it's legal. So she deserves whatever she gets — but what she doesn’t deserve is fame. She and Eliot should both be in jail where they can write dirty letters to each other."
Dupre’s 15 minutes of fame aren't up quite yet. Gentleman’s Club Headquarters New York (known as HQ) is holding a contest this Thursday in search of the sexiest Dupre duplicate.
“Ms. Dupre has become an instant sex symbol, and men would happily pay to see her dance,” said Steve Hahn, General Manager of HQ. “We’re giving them the next best thing by combing the city for a girl who looks just like her.”
Dupre was identified in March as a prostitute named "Kristen" who had been involved with Spitzer, who has since resigned.
The reigning “almost Ashley Dupre” will be judged by "The Sopranos" star Dan Grimaldi, Big Apple icon "The Naked Cowboy" and a very special surprise guest (could it be Client #9?).
While the winner won't exactly get to tryst with a high-profile politician of her own, she will earn $500 and a two-week dancing contract at HQ.
Meanwhile, aspiring singer Dupre has enlisted top music manager Jerry Blair, who once oversaw Mariah Carey's comeback, The New York Daily News reports.
"Ashley has a delicate situation," an insider told the News. "She can't do anything that generates income until she works out a deal" over potential charges.
Two sources close to the situation confirmed for the News that Blair had been representing Dupre to labels, but once source said "Every label passed" while another countered "There has been quite a bit of interest."
Dupre Goes Wild on Joe Francis
Ashley Dupre filed a lawsuit today against "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis, claiming she never gave GGW permission to use her name and likeness to advertise videos -- and she's asking for $10 mil.
Dupre, the call girl at the center of the Gov. Eliot Spitzer scandal, alleges in the lawsuit that GGW reps approached her while she was "socializing" at Miami's Chesterfield Hotel back in 2003, plied her with booze, and -- once she was drunk -- got her to flash her moneymakers.
Once Dupre became famous, GGW released the video and used it to promote the launch of their new magazine. She was only 17 at the time, she argues, so she was not old enough and "did not understand the magnitude" of what she was doing when she was signing a release ... drunk. But, as TMZ first reported, she had a fake ID that said otherwise.
UPDATE: Francis issued the following statement to TMZ: "We were very surprised and in fact amazed today that Ms. Dupree filed a lawsuit against Girls Gone Wild. We have not publicly released any new video of Ms. Dupree, due to corporate policy of not using footage of individuals younger than 18. It is incomprehensible that Ms. Dupree could claim she did not give her consent to be filmed by Girls Gone Wild, when in fact we have videotape of her giving consent, while showing her identification."
'Girls Gone Wild': Video proves Dupre agreed to appear
The release came one day after series founder Joe Francis and his companies were sued for $10 million in Miami federal court by Ashley Alexandra Dupre, who claims she was only 17 at the time and too young to sign a binding contract. Dupre, now 22, also accused Francis of exploiting her image and name on various Internet sites.
In the new release, Dupre appears covered by a terrycloth towel and gives her name as Amber Arpaio. An unseen questioner asks if she is 18.
"Yes I am," Dupre answers in a strong Southern accent.
"Do you know what Girls Gone Wild is?" the questioner asks.
"Yes I do," she replies with a laugh.
"Can I use this on Girls Gone Wild ?" she is asked.
"Of course you can," Dupre answers.
The video also displays a New Jersey driver's license with the Amber Arpaio name and a birth date that would have made her appear to be in her 20s.
A lawyer and public relations firm representing Dupre did not immediately return telephone calls and e-mails seeking comment.
Dupre rocketed to fame in March when she surfaced as a high-priced call girl in the Emperors Club VIP prostitution ring that involved New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned soon after the scandal broke. Dupre, going by the name "Kristen," met Spitzer at least once at a swanky Washington hotel, according to court documents.
In her lawsuit, Dupre said she was on spring break in Miami Beach in 2003 when she was approached by Girls Gone Wild producers, given alcoholic drinks and then signed a release agreeing to appear. The series depicts women in various provocative poses or topless, often in such party locations as Mardi Gras or spring break beach towns.
Francis has said that Dupre was on the Girls Gone Wild bus for a week and made seven full-length videos. He said the video of her agreement to appear is proof that her lawsuit has no merit.
"It is incomprehensible that Ms. Dupre could claim she did not give her consent to be filmed by Girls Gone Wild , when in fact we have a videotape of her giving consent, while showing her identification," Francis said in a written statement.
After the Spitzer scandal, Francis made a public $1 million offer for Dupre to appear in one of his videos and go on a promotional tour. But he rescinded the offer after realizing he already had footage of Dupre from 2003.
Francis has other legal problems, including federal tax evasion charges pending in California and lawsuits by filed by women in Panama City, Fla., claiming they were victims of underage exploitation. Francis spent a year in jail and was released in March after pleading no contest to child abuse and prostitution charges for filming underage girls in that Panhandle beach town.
