Tina Turner Team Loses Legal Batter Against Doppelganger For Allegedly Misleading Fans With Poster Likeness

Lawyers acting for the Queen of Rock n Roll have lost a massive legal battle against a doppelganger performing in a tribute show after judges threw out her unlikely claim that the double was too similar in posters, and it could mislead fans into believing it was her.

US singer Tina Turner, aged 82, sued the German company identified as Cofo Entertainment that produced a show named “Simply The Best — The Tina Turner Story” starring lookalike artist Dorothea “Coco” Fletcher.

In her lawsuit, Turner, who apparently found too many similarities between her and Fletcher’s “lion manes” demanded a ban on the use of her name and likeness from posters advertising the show, for fear of people thinking she was involved in its production.

The poster for the “Simply The Best – The Tina Turner Story” show, that Tina Turner is suing for suing her name and likens, in Cologne, Germany. (Note: Private photo. (Newsflash) )

After initially winning her case at the Cologne Regional Court, she then lost on appeal as the court ruled in favour of Fletcher, after which the case was taken to the Federal Court of Justice in the German city of Karlsruhe in 2020.

Turner’s lawyer Kerstin Schmitt then slammed the decision to reverse the ruling, and stated that the legendary singer “would like to decide for herself if her name and portrait are used for advertising purposes as Ms. Turner herself has nothing to do with this show.”

However, Cofo Entertainment tour organiser Oliver Forster argued that the show has been performed over 100 times across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and no one has ever complained that they did not get to see the real Tina Turner.

Dorothea ‘Coco’ Fletcher and Oliver Forster, with the poster. (Note: Private photo. (Newsflash) )

Now, two years after the initiation of the legal issue, the judges of the Federal Court of Justice have finally made their decision by ruling in favour of Fletcher on 24th February.

While the official verdict stated that artistic freedom outweighs personality rights, presiding judge Thomas Koch added that the controversial posters did not give out the impression that Turner supported or was by any means involved in the show.

After the final decision, Forster told German media: “I am overjoyed that we were finally able to settle this legal dispute after more than two years.”

Tina Turner, (right) Dorothea ‘Coco’ Fletcher, (left) performing as Tina Turner, (Note: Private photo. (Newsflash) )

The organiser who believes the lawsuit did not come directly from the singer herself added: “This is of course about making life difficult for an unpleasant competitor like us on the market or, in the best case, achieving that the show is no longer played.”

Forster pointed out that the legal dispute has had a huge advertising effect on the show and added: “We also noticed that in the sales figures. Of course, when the original Tina Turner thinks that the cast member on our show looks so much like her, it still ranks as a special compliment somewhere.”

Regarding the final outcome, the main star of the show, Fletcher said: “A friend called me to tell me that my name is in the National Enquirer, which is the largest magazine in the United States. It can be good for me, it can be bad for me, who knows.”

Dorothea Coco Fletcher who was sued by US singer Tina Turner in the German city of Cologne. (Newsflash)

The American-born Swiss singer who officially withdrew from the music business over 10 years ago, and her lawyer Kerstin Schmitt, have not made any public comments yet regarding the verdict.