Floyd Mayweather Says Club Abused His Name

LAS VEGAS (CN) - Floyd Mayweather sued a New Orleans night club, claiming it used his name and image to promote itself, falsely claiming he would appear there at a Super Bowl kickoff party.

Mayweather sued The Wine Bistro dba The Wine Bistro New Orleans, 2nd To None Entertainment, Maurice Flippen, Ronald Daniels, Blake Turner, Lee Bates and Ernest Johnson Jr., in Federal Court.

Mayweather claims that he learned on Jan. 30 of an ad claiming he would be celebrity guest host of the Feb. 1 event. The ad claimed that his entourage, "The Money Team," would also be there, the boxer says in his complaint.

"The Money Team" is the nickname for his celebrity friends, who include nonparties Justin Bieber and Li'l Kim, according to the complaint.

Mayweather claims the defendants posted several ads and a YouTube video on the club's Facebook page, offering tickets for $50 or $100 apiece.

Mayweather claims he sent a cease-and-desist letter to the defendants on Jan. 30, but the websites were mostly unchanged on the day of the event.

"Because Mr. Mayweather was not present ...fans are likely disappointed, angry and likely blame Mr. Mayweather for failing to appear, damaging Mr. Mayweather's reputation and overall brand," the complaint states.

"Other clubs will be less likely to book Mr. Mayweather as a guest host or special guest out of fear he will not follow through on his obligations, costing Mr. Mayweather in future appearance fees or reducing the value of such fees.

"Fans will be less likely to attend future events, as they will be unsure whether Mr. Mayweather will in fact appear as advertised."

But the club profited from it, Mayweather says: "The public now believes that Wine Bistro is a club that can attract world-class celebrities such as Mr. Mayweather, and that 2nd to None is a promotions company that does business with world-class celebrities such as Mr. Mayweather. Defendants have used the purported affiliation to bolster their perceived legitimacy and to improperly gain revenue from the unjustified use of Mr. Mayweather's likeness and brand names."

Mayweather seeks compensatory, consequential, punitive and statutory damages for unfair competition, violation of publicity rights, trademark violation, deceptive trade and unjust enrichment. He also the defendants enjoined from using his name and likeness for commercial gain.

He is represented by Mark G. Tratos with Greenberg Traurig in Las Vegas.

Mayweather is a frequent flyer in court. He has been named as a defendant in more than 20 lawsuits since 2005, according to the Courthouse News database.

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