The Oprah Winfrey Network has slapped a young Florida man, Justin Jackson, with a lawsuit, alleging that he pretended to be Winfrey’s nephew as well as impersonated network employees in an effort to obtain lavish gifts and benefits. Per the specifics of the suit, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, OWN claims that Jackson has a history of impersonating others, including President Barack Obama’s aide and Madonna’s manager. Joining the suit as co-plaintiffs are Reggie Love, a former personal aide to Obama; and Scott Garner, OWN’s SVP of scheduling and acquisitions.
“A lawsuit was filed today against Justin Jackson who has been falsely representing himself as an employee and associate of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in an effort to mislead companies and individuals in order to obtain gifts, financial rewards and employment. Also named as a defendant is Angel Agarrat who the complaint alleges has assisted Jackson in some of these scams. We seek the court’s help to put a stop to these fraudulent activities,” an OWN spokesperson told E! News in a statement.
According to THR, OWN believes Jackson and Agarrat attempted to get freebies, including clothing, food, concert tickets, gift certificates, hotel accommodations, jewelry and access to celebrities like Trey Songz, during their stint as Winfrey’s nephew. OWN, Garner and Love are suing for common law invasion of privacy, trademark infringement, trademark dilution and civil conspiracy. They are seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
In 2010, Jackson was arrested for fraudulent activities, including impersonating a public officer but skipped bail and allegedly has an arrest warrant in Georgia.
