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A Manhattan modeling agency says a rival firm poached its “rising star,” Victoria’s Secret catwalker Devyn Garcia, according to new court papers.
State Artist Management, LLC, says it plucked Garcia out of obscurity when she was just 18 and signed a three-year contract with her Sept. 3, 2019, according to the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Garcia “had little experience with professional modeling,” but the company “saw her potential and marketed her to its select clients as ‘the next star,’” court papers say.
Because of State’s nurturing, Garcia booked gigs with Victoria’s Secret, Adore Me, Nordstrom’s, L’Oréal, Gap and Tommy Hilfiger —resulting in her beginning to earn much higher rates, the court documents claim.
But March 5, Garcia informed State that she was canceling her contract and “almost immediately” after, DNA Model Management, LLC, of Manhattan posted pictures of Garcia on its Web site, the suit alleges.
Garcia is not named as a defendant in the case.
“Defendants enticed Garcia to breach her State contract only half-way through its term and position DNA to reap the financial benefit of State’s efforts to develop and promote Garcia,” the suit alleges.
“DNA is the 10,000 pound gorilla of the model management industry,” the suit says, alleging that the rival firm has a history of inducing models to break their contracts.
“Every model management company in New York has a list of models taken by DNA and State is no different,” the suit charges.
DNA was sued in 2017 by Lions Model Management over Dior catwalker Adwoa Aboah. The case was settled in 2019.
DNA did not return a request for comment.
Garcia could not be reached for comment.
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