Rockstar is not a stranger to lawsuits, as they have made it their business to be the bad boys of the gaming industry. This time they are being sued for a Character that they used in one of their games more than 15 years ago, specifically Auntie Poulet from "GTA: Vice City." Psychic Readers Network are alleging that the superstar company based the character on the image of Miss Cleo, a character that was created and promoted by the network.
Are Miss Cleo and Auntie Poulet that similar?
Youree Dell Harris, the actress behind the Miss Cleo persona, also did the voice work for Auntie Poulet.
Therefore it is not surprising to see the two characters overlap. Even regarding their appearance, they both share striking similarities, as Auntie Poulet seems to have the same fashion sense as Miss Cleo. Even her backstory appears to satirize the infamous psychic, who offered a hotline service on the Psychic Readers Network, as Auntie Poulet is a gang leader who uses voodoo potions to get the main character to help out in her missions.
Does the network have a leg to stand on? Although the characters share certain characteristics, similar court cases have been unceremoniously dismissed, including a law suit by Lindsay Lohan who believed that Rockstar used her image to promote "Grand Theft Auto 5".
There is a major difference between the two cases though, as Lohan was just saying that their character, Lacey Jones, was eerily similar to one of her infamous poses, while Auntie Poulet is voiced by the same actress that played the part of Miss Cleo.
What is this network exactly?
For those uninitiated, Miss Cleo was a favorite TV psychic from the 1990s that rose to fame due to the heavy promotion provided by the Psychic Readers Network.
Around the time that "GTA: Vice City," Harris and network were being investigated for deceptive advertisement and fraud. They eventually settled out of court. Harris spoke about her time with the network in recent years, saying that they exploited her. One has to wonder why it took Psychic Readers Network until now to file a suit?
Unfortunately, Harris did pass away last year from cancer, so her input will not be available for the case.
The network is saying they spent 100 million promoting this character and that Rockstar made over 500 million from the sales of the game and by using their Auntie Poulet. Apparently, nobody bought the game because they just had to see whether there truly is a Miss Cleo look alike, but what do we know? We're not psychic.
