Dancing with the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy is facing a $6 million lawsuit.
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Chmerkovskiy, 29, shared the 2014 meme on social media three weeks ago to criticize parents who don't pay more attention to a child's health. CBS News retweeted the meme as well, so the girl is claiming the news outlet and pro dancer are to blame for the meme going viral and humiliating her.
According to the lawsuit, the girl alleges emotional distress, defamation and invasion of privacy. She's reportedly asking for $6 million from Chmerkovskiy, $6 million from CBS, and $600,000 from the photographer who initially took her photo at a baseball game in 2008.
At the time, the photographer posted the girl's image with the following headline: "Everything that's wrong with America."
The 16-year-old's mother reportedly asked Chmerkovskiy numerous times to take the meme down, and while he did eventually, he initially stood his ground.
"I am truly sorry for the lack of sensitivity...," Chmerkovskiy told the mother, according to TMZ. "You're handicapping your kid, and they're defenseless... They don't know better. That's why you're there."
The girl is arguing in her lawsuit that children with Down Syndrome have an increased likelihood of obesity.
On Saturday, Chmerkovskiy seemingly addressed the matter by writing on Twitter, "Worry about your character, not your reputation. Your character is who you are. Your reputation is who people think you are."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
