Jamie Longoria files suit against strip club

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Jaime Edmondson Longoria has a thriving career as a model and Playboy playmate.

But now, her glossy images are at the center of a court battle.

Longoria, who's married to Tampa Bay Rays player Evan Longoria, and two other models have joined a lawsuit against Tampa's Deja Vu Showgirls.

The models claim the strip club used their images for advertising purposes without consent or compensation.

Attorney Anthony Rickman reviewed the complaint for FOX 13. He says the club likely used the images to entice customers. 

"People think you're going to see a woman like that. They're going there because they see her picture, [but] she has nothing to do with the strip club, is not endorsing that strip club, and is not being paid for her likeness," explained Rickman. 

Longoria filed her suit against the club in state court rather than federal. Rickman says the strategy might work for her.

"You get a potential jury of your peers in Hillsborough County if this case were to go to trial," he explained.

And that could give the plaintiffs the edge. Her husband's fame locally has made Jamie a celebrity in her own right.

"She's a very well known artist, a very well known model, she was on "The Amazing Race," so her name itself is well known in this community," said Rickman. 

This lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal action taken against adult-themed entertainment and strip clubs across the country.

Here in Tampa, the swingers club Eyz Wide Shut was sued by several models in federal court for similar claims. The plaintiffs won the case but now the club owner claims he's broke and can't pay them.

The case is still ongoing.

As for Longoria's lawsuit, Rickman believes the models have a strong case if it ever goes in front of a jury. He says sometimes these cases settle out of court.