Last winter Allen Henson, 29, photographed a topless model on the busy, 86th floor observation deck of The Empire State Building (ESB) without permission. The photos were part of his "boobs around town" project, in which he photographs models that spontaneously undress in New York parks, rooftop bars, and restaurants. While it's legal for women to be topless in NYC, private establishments have their own rules when it comes to nudity and photography. Now the ESB owners are suing Henson for $1.1 million.
[jump]Among other things, the six-page lawsuit stated that Henson "intentionally violated rules of the Observatory, intentionally engaged in unauthorized, objectionable, and inappropriate conduct in full view of ESB's customers, tenants, visitors, including families with children, and employees, and caused ESB to suffer economic losses and damage to its reputation."
The ESB estimates those damages at $100,000. The remaining $1,000,000 is punitive.
Check out more of Henson's work at AllenHenson.com
Video of Henson and his topless model, Shelby Carter, getting kicked out of a NYC diner.