Vietnamese–American actress Junie Hoang has sued the IMDb Pro (Internet Movie Database) website, which she says has revealed her true age. The actress has claimed damages worth $1 million over the issue. The 42-year-old actress said that she has lost out on movie roles after the website published her real age.
Hoang was supported by the US acting unions in her attempts to sue IMDb for a breach of contract. The actress has claimed that the site had used credit information and third party verification to research about her true age. The information was used on the Pro subscription site, which is extensively used by Hollywood agents.
On the other hand, a jury from Seattle found that the Amazon-owned site has not breached any contract and any legal obligations. The trial took two days. The actress had first approached the courts in the year 2011 and proceeded with the formalities anonymously, with hopes to sue the website for $1 million or more in punitive damages. She also wanted to sue for $75,000 or more in compensatory damages.
The actress made a case saying that anyone who was believed to be over the age of 40 was often overlooked for important roles, as a result she has lost out on work because her age was put up on the site against her wishes.
