‘DEFAMATION’

Woman Who Inspired ‘Hustlers’ Sues Jennifer Lopez’s Production Company for $40 Million

The former stripper is claiming that the studio defamed her by using her story and likeness without her consent.

The woman who inspired Jennifer Lopez’s character in the movie Hustlers is suing the actress’ production company for $40 million, claiming that she did not grant the producers permission to use her story. Samantha Barbash, an entrepreneur and former stripper, alleges that Lopez’s production company, Nuyorican Productions, clearly used her story and likeness for the Hustlers character Ramona. She says in the suit that producers had approached her to get her consent, but she turned them down. Additionally, she is claiming defamation by the studio for implying that she was “using and manufacturing illegal substances in her home where she lived with her child,” which she says never happened. Barbash is seeking $20 million in compensatory damages, $20 million in punitive damages, and requesting that producers turn over all copies of the movie.