$1 million slap: Front row run-in at New York Fashion Week ends with lawsuit

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Published time: September 14, 2012 09:09
Edited time: September 14, 2012 13:09

Taking the wrong seat could cost as much as $1 million. A New York publicist has sued a French magazine editor and her mother for $1 million after the French woman allegedly slapped her during the fight over front-row seats at a fashion show.

­Lynn Tesoro filed the lawsuit against the editor of the French glossy Jalouse, Jennifer Eymere, and her mother, publishing executive Marie-Jose Susskind-Jalou, in the Manhattan Supreme Court.

It claims "assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, slander and/or libel."

The incident took place at Avery Fisher Hall during the Zac Posen show.

A model celebrates after the presentation of the Zac Posen Spring/Summer 2013 collection during New York Fashion Week September 9, 2012. (Reuters/Keith Bedford)

Women's Wear Daily reported that the dustup started after city fire marshals removed sixty seats, most of them from the front row. Eymere allegedly began arguing with Tesoro, whose company was in charge of promoting the Posen show, after it turned out her mother no longer had a seat, the daily said.

With passions running high and the women screaming at each other, the conflict climaxed with Tesoro allegedly being slapped in the face by the French magazine editor.

"It was a small slap. It was not strong. I didn't hurt her it was just to humiliate her. She humiliated my mom, and I humiliated her in front of her crew," Eymere told Women's Wear Daily.  

"Voilà. I just said at the end, ‘Now you know you don't f--k with French people," she added.

Women's Wear Daily says another witness said it was allegedly the mother, not the daughter, who struck Tesoro.

The lawsuit also named Eymere's sister as a defendant.

Tesoro, whose firm, The HL Group, handles top clients including Oscar de la Renta, declined to comment, Reuters reported. Eymere could not be reached for comment either.