All’s not fair in leggy lovelies and war.
Next Management is accusing rival agency Ford Models of engaging in un-American behavior by poaching three of its immigrant models.
“Ford, which is no longer owned by the Ford family, has been taken over by Russian nationals who totally ignore the American legal system” with their “campaign to raid Next’s businesses,” the modeling superpower charges in papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Next’s indignation is somewhat surprising — Ford has sued the agency three times in recent years for stealing several of its models, including heralded up-and-comer Kendra Spears.
Spears “is an all-American beauty who many have described as ‘the next Cindy Crawford,’ ” and “one of the most important young models to emerge on the fashion scene in years,” says the most recent Ford suit, which is still pending.
Next, however, maintains that Ford crossed the line by snatching their models, Polish pretties Anna Aleksandra Cywinska and Anna Maria Jagodzinska (a k a Anna J.) and exotic Estonian Karmen Pedaru.
“It’s completely different” from Ford’s complaints with the agency, Next lawyer Elizabeth Eilender said. “It’s a completely different situation with different models. Completely different.”
The suit says that Next President Joel Wilkenfeld had personally petitioned the Immigration and Naturalization Service to allow the three to work in the US and that all three are under contract.
The suit also names former Next booker Agneiszka Ponarski, who it says ignored the six-month non-compete clause in her contract and started working for Ford while “still operating out of Next’s offices.”
It was Ponarski who allegedly orchestrated the models’ defection, along with Ford general counsel Doreen Small, who “as an attorney . . . knew this behavior was illegal and inappropriate and nevertheless induced and arranged for the model defendants to breach their contracts with Next.”
Ford’s conduct caused Next “great financial harm,” the suit says. It seeks unspecified money damages, including the models’ commissions, and for Ford to “cease and desist acting illegally and improperly by enticing and luring models under written contract and being represented by Next to switch to Ford.”
A rep for Ford declined comment.
Ford’s suit accused Next — which is home to supermodels Daniela Pestova and Molly Sims — of poaching their bookers and using them to lure away models who were still under contract.
“Incredibly, this is the sixth time in less than a year that Next has wrongfully acquired . . . models and employees under exclusive contract with Ford,” including stunners Agnete Hegelund, Natalia Andrade and Pamela Semmache, the May 2009 suit states.