Judge Dismissed Romeo and Juliet Underage Nudity Lawsuit

On Monday, Judge Holly J. Fujie dismissed a lawsuit from Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, stars of Romeo and Juliet (1968), reports Variety. In the original lawsuit filed in 2022 against Paramount Pictures, the actors claimed director Franco Zeffirelli pressured them into a nude scene in the movie despite being 16 and 17 at the time of filming. They filed the lawsuit citing the California Child Victims Act, claiming Zeffirelli filmed them naked without their consent, noting naked photographs of them from the shoot day despite the promise of a closed set. The case was dismissed due to the statute of limitations, but the pair filed another lawsuit earlier this year stating that the Criterion Collection re-release in 2023 gave their case new footing and filed under “revenge pornography.”

However, Judge Fujie felt otherwise. “A comparison of the 2023 release with the prior versions shows no significant visible improvement in the film, particularly in the Bedroom Scene, to the naked eye,” the judge wrote in her decision. Hussey and Whiting’s lawyer, William Romaine, recommended that the actors appeal the ruling.