Music

Vampire Weekend issues lawsuit over 'Contra' album cover

by Ciaran Thompson

After being slapped with a $2 million lawsuit by Ann Kirsten Kennis, the woman who appears on the cover of their latest record Contra, Vampire Weekend have issued a lawsuit to photographer Tod Brody, however neither the band or the courts currently know his whereabouts.

Kennis claims she did not allow the photograph of her to be used and never signed a release form which Brody apparently showed the band before the image was sold and used for the cover. Vampire Weekend say “Responsibility, if any, for damages claimed by [Kennis] rests entirely on Brody.”

Since nobody has been able to locate Brody to serve him the papers regarding the claims, a federal court judge in California has approved a joint request by Kennis and the band to serve the papers by mail and email. As of December 3, the court will consider Brody to have received them.

If he doesn’t respond, a default judgment could be made against him early next year. [PDN]