Mob Wives star claims Grand Theft Auto 5 ripped off her life
Suing Rockstar for $40m.
The daughter of a retired mobster is suing Rockstar for allegedly using her likeness and life story in Grand Theft Auto 5.
Karen Gravano, a former cast member of US reality show Mob Wives, has filed suit against Rockstar for $40 million, NY Daily News reports - $20m in compensation and another $20m in punitive damages.
Gravano claims that she was used as inspiration for GTA5 character Antonia Bottino, who the character can meet during a random encounter mission named "Burial".
Players find Bottino tied up and about to be buried alive. Should you help her, Bottino will reveal that she is the daughter of the retired Gambetti crime family underboss Sammy Bottino, who quit his life as a gangster and was a government witness as part of a plea bargain.
The real-life Gravano is the daughter of Gambino crime family underboss Sammy Gravano, who quit his life as a gangster and was a government witness as part of a plea bargain.
"Notwithstanding the fact that plaintiff has the utmost respect for the writers and creators of the Grand Theft Auto 5 video game, her story is unique and is hers to tell," the lawsuit reads.
Gravano will soon release a new book with more detail on her life story, something which she alleges Rockstar could have simply licensed "with relative ease, which may have [averted] this action".