(EMAILWIRE.COM, October 20, 2009 ) LOS ANGELES -- Vivid Entertainment, the leading adult film studio, said today it will delay distribution of "Shauna Sand Exposed," a sexually explicit video starring the actress, while its lawyers and a handwriting expert counter a "cease and desist" letter sent by Ms. Sand's attorney.
Noting that Vivid "has allegedly acquired private footage of Ms. Sand-Lamas engaging in sexual activity and claims to have acquired the rights to sell, use and/or distribute the video," attorney Brooks J. Holcomb warned, "the video is private property and was not created or intended for sale or public distribution." He threatened a lawsuit if Vivid did not call off its plans to sell the video starting Oct. 19 and demanded that the studio "produce any legitimate, written proof of Vivid's asserted rights" to distribute it. He said Ms. Sand "denies ever signing any release form or waiver of any kind authorizing Vivid to sell, use or distribute the video."
Steven Hirsch, co-chairman of Vivid-Entertainment, dismissed Holcomb's claims, but said the company would delay distribution of the video, probably for one week, while its lawyers responded to Holcomb and a handwriting expert verifies that the signature on a release form granting rights to the video is demonstrated to be authentic.
"We expected a positive reaction to this movie from both retailers and consumers, but we're pretty overwhelmed by the enthusiasm at this point and we want to release it as soon as possible," said Mr. Hirsch. "I think we'll be able to do so as I still feel confident that all of our papers are in order and we have the right to move ahead with distribution. In an overabundance of caution our lawyers have asked us to delay the release until they have dealt with the claims of Mr. Holcomb and Shauna Sand."
Sand is the former wife of reality television star Lorenzo Lamas and has numerous acting credentials to her credit. The video, which shows her having sex with a boyfriend earlier this year, was obtained by a third party who brought it to Vivid.
Vivid announced earlier that it would release the movie through its Vivid-Celeb imprint, which has also distributed sex tapes starring such personalities as Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, Kim Kardashian and Ray J, Jimi Hendrix and others.
About Vivid:
Founded in 1984, Vivid is the world's leading adult film company and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Vivid has always placed heavy emphasis on high quality erotic film entertainment and has created wide brand-name awareness through its films, innovative marketing and a licensing program that extends to advertising, apparel, book publishing and a range of other products. The studio's website www.vivid.com has a large and loyal following of fans of the Vivid Girls. For more information contact Jackie@vivid.com.
