Jodi Pliszka files a lawsuit against the rapper and The Goldmind Inc. record label more than two years after her daughter thanked Missy for featuring her image in the 'Pep Rally' cover art.
- February 8, 2019
AceShowbiz - Missy Elliott is facing a lawsuit from an alopecia sufferer alleging she used her image in single artwork without permission.
In an image used to promote her 2016 track "Pep Rally", the hip-hop star sports a top featuring what looks like an old modelling head-shot of Jodi Pliszka, an author and activist who is totally bald due to her condition, in black and white with a superimposed green sash.
Documents obtained by TMZ.com show Jodi is suing Missy and her The Goldmind Inc. record label, alleging that her picture was used without authorisation.
Although the 47-year-old has never publicly acknowledged that it is the alopecia activist featured on the shirt, in 2016 Jodi's daughter Jess wrote a blog stating she was "ecstatic" her mum was pictured in the single cover art.
"It's an honor for my mom (to) have this extra exposure, especially by a superstar like Missy Elliott, to help promote her message of accepting differences to reduce prejudices," her post on the Odyssey website read. "Thank you to my mom, Jodi Pliszka, and Missy Elliott, for being such strong, brave, positive role models to all."
Jodi appeared on U.S. reality TV series "American Inventor" in 2006, reaching the series finals with her invention, a cooling wig or hat liner. She released a memoir, titled "Bald is Beautiful: My Journey to Becoming", the following year.
The rapper's representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
