Summary
Lawrence Sullivan, known to the public as the “Florida Joker,” has just given one last ultimatum to Rockstar Games overGrand Theft Auto 6. The highly-anticipated trailer for Rockstar’s latest open-world crime title sent shockwaves across the internet when it was finally released earlier this month, with eagle-eyed fans quickly pointing out references to real-life people and events withinGrand Theft Auto 6’s Florida-inspired Leonida setting. One such character is atattooed criminal being arrested during theGTA 6trailer, who was soon compared to Lawrence Sullivan’s viral 2017 mugshot.
Sullivan himself took note of theGrand Theft Auto 6character’s resemblance to him, and soon posted a video claiming that he and Rockstar “needed to talk” over the developer allegedly “stealing” his likeness. Despite the NPC in question not being an exact match for the Florida Joker and discouraging remarks from onlookers likeRed Dead Redemption 2actor Rodger Clark, Sullivan has continued making legal demands as the weeks go on, even going as far as dyeing his hair purple to match theGrand Theft Auto 6character he says is modeled after him. In a more recent video, Sullivan claimed that he has contacted his lawyers in preparation to sue Rockstar.
Over the holiday weekend, Lawrence Sullivan posted yet another video on hisTikTokaccount demanding money from Rockstar, with this one supposedly being the “final warning” before he and his legal team take action against the company. Sullivan claims that his lawyers sent a letter to Rockstar, and that they are expecting a response by Sullivan’s birthday on January 11. He also continues his past claims that he is beingharassed over his allegedGTA 6parody, and that he is now asking for $5 million to avoid the legal action he has been threatening over the past month.
As many have pointed out, this is far from the first time a public figure threatened to sue Rockstar over a character supposedly modeled after them. In 2014, Lindsay Lohan claimed that the developer stole her likeness forGrand Theft Auto 5character Lacey Jonas, but her case was eventually dropped in 2018. Lawrence Sullivan himself referenced this case during his own complaints against Rockstar, arguing that he actually has “hard evidence” that the Joker-like character in theGTA 6trailer is inspired by his infamous mugshot.
So far, this “hard evidence” basically amounts to Lawrence Sullivan comparing himself to screenshots of theGrand Theft Auto 6character in question, whose tattoos are noticeably different from the ones on Sullivan’s face - with a prime example being the word “IMPERTINENT” across the NPC’s forehead. Due to both this andRockstar’s considerable experience with these kinds of legal matters, Sullivan likely won’t win any legal actions he might choose to take if the developer doesn’t respond to his “final warning” by January 11.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
