New Jersey trio sues over appearance in caustic “Douchebags” book
OCTOBER 23–Angered that their photos appear in “Hot Chicks with Douchebags,” three New Jersey women have sued the book’s author and publisher, claiming that the “vulgar” title has unfairly tarred them as “females who date dubious men.” According to a New Jersey Superior Court lawsuit, the women–Yvette Gorzelany, 22; Joanna Obiedzinski, 21; and Paulina Pakos, 24–have been forced to undergo medical treatment and psychological therapy, and have suffered financial damages as a result of their inclusion in author Jay Louis’s book, which was published in July. Like Louis’s web site (hotchickswithdouchebags.com), the book caustically lampoons male clubgoers and the women with whom they are photographed. As seen below, Obiedzinski (left) and Gorzelany are pictured in Louis’s book with a man who purportedly represents the “Federbag” subspecies of douchebag. Obdzienski contends that, as a result of her appearance in the Simon & Schuster book, she was rejected for a job at a New Jersey country club. Pakos is pictured in a section of the book that offers men various “de-douchification” tips. Pakos, a Ramapo College student, claims that she was “dating a person who broke up with her as a result of [her] appearance in the book,” according to the October 14 lawsuit, which was first reported by Courthouse News Service. An excerpt from the complaint can be found here. The two photos were taken last year at Bliss, a Clifton, N.J. nightclub, and originally appeared on a web site devoted to nightclub photography.
