Lindsay Lohan and her business partners have been accused of stealing the formula for Sevin Nyne Tanning Mist.
In a complaint filed in federal court in Tampa, Fla., inventor Jennifer Sunday said she pitched the idea to Lohan and the partners this year, the parties entered into a confidentiality agreement and were on the verge of a deal but could not agree on final terms.
Sunday alleged that the final product contains “exactly the same or nearly identical ingredients” as her creation and that Lohan has publicly taken credit for the formula.
Lohan launched the product this spring at Sephora with the help of her personal tanning guru, Lorit Simon, and other partners in Lorit LLC, the spray’s parent company.
Sunday, who operates as White Wave International Labs Inc., is suing for breach of contract, theft of trade secrets and conspiracy, among other counts.
She is seeking an injunction and unspecified damages.
George Mitchell, president of United 1 International Laboratories LLC, which manufacturers Sevin Nyne, countered the allegations Tuesday. He said, “when requested to help develop the formula for Sevin Nyne with Lorit LLC, I did so using my expertise and was not provided with any formulas or trade secrets by Lorit LLC or anyone involved in or related to the Sevin Nyne product.”