Model Sues Canva Over Pic in Ads for Porn and STD Treatments
Alexandra Bendit is asking the company to cough up $500,000 for, among other things, intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
A New York City model says she agreed to do a stock photo shoot for Canva, the DIY graphic design platform, after assurances from the company that her picture would be available for “wholesome, generic, and non-controversial” purposes. Instead, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in Manhattan Supreme Court and obtained by The Daily Beast, the woman’s image ended up gracing “advertisements and websites promoting and advertising such things as essential oils for sex, sex addiction, genital herpes treatment and infection, porn actresses, sexual toys and products, sex and hook up websites.” Alexandra Bendit, 28, says she never would have agreed to do the job, which paid less than $100, and is asking the Sydney, Australia-based company to cough up $500,000 for, among other things, breach of contract, fraud, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Her lawyer, Kevin Landau, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. No representative who would able to comment on Canva’s behalf is listed in court records.
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