Oksana Baiul, Olympic star and figure skating champion, sued NBC for $5 million for using her name and likeness without permission.
According to the Daily News, Baiul sued the network's sports division and the production company Disson Skating on Monday for promoting her involvement in two different TV specials, despite the skater not having agreed to them. The report says that Baiul did not appear in the shows, which were a Dec. 15, 2011 event with the group Styx and a Jan. 19, 2012 show with the singer Kenny G.
Baiul says that the fact they promoted her gave off the impression to her fans that she did not show up and was a "no show" who decided not to perform.
"(That) damages her goodwill with her loyal fans that purchased tickets (often months in advance) expecting to see her perform," Baiul's suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, charges.
Stephen Disson said his company never publicly disclosed his negotiations to have Baiul appear.
"It's just weird," he said, according to the Daily News.
The report adds that Disson said Baiul's agent called him and asked if he would book the skater on the shows and that he offered her two spots on two different programs. "Disson said Baiul then called to say how much she appreciated his offer, given how poorly she'd performed on prior shows."
"Each time she had been a little flaky. One time, she didn't show up. She was out shopping. Another time, she refused to do a retake after she had fallen," he recalled. "She was grateful for a third chance. We had a good talk. I said I'd send a contract."
The report says that three weeks later, Disson said that Baiul's agent, Steve Martin of The Agency Group, sent him an email saying Baiul "no longer wanted to do the shows."
NBC and Baiul's lawyer declined to comment.
This is not the first time that Baiul has sued for money, as she did the same last year when she she sued the William Morris Agency saying that it owed her more than $1 million in damages for not properly accounting for her earnings.
Baiul won a gold medal in ladies singles at the Olympics in Lillehammer and is also a former world champion. She is the only gold medal winner from the country of Ukraine to win at the Winter Olympics.
