A Basic Instinct for Money

Ecuador’s PR Firm Sues Sharon Stone: alleges actress absconded with $275,000 for government-funded anti-Chevron event

A public relations firm representing the government of Ecuador sued Sharon Stone in federal court on Tuesday alleging that the actress absconded with a large speaking fee for work promoting that government’s long-running legal and political battle against oil giant Chevron.

This Chevron suit is one of the more interesting cases of  corruption in science. Essentially a group of scientific activist advisers to Ecuador encourage the government of Ecuador to sue Chevron on behalf of native peoples and bending the facts to fit, collecting a big chunk of change in the process. This year a federal judge told Chevron not to pay because of the misconduct of the scientists and Ecuadorian government.

The complaint, filed by New York-based MCSquared PR, alleges that Stone and the American Talent Bureau, a speaking agency that represented her, accepted $275,000 to attend an anti-Chevron event in Ecuador last year but failed to appear as promised.

Stiffed 'em huh? Sounds like they had it coming.

The lawsuit reveals additional details about MCSquared’s pricey work for the Ecuadorian government. It inked a $6.4 million contract with the government in 2013 to attack Chevron in furtherance of the government’s attempts to collect a multi-billion dollar Ecuadorian judgment against the company.

According to documents filed with the Justice Department, MCSquared paid more than $500,000 to two talent agencies to recruit celebrities to speak out against Chevron.

Actress Mia Farrow confirmed that she was paid for her junket to the country, though she said the sum she received for that speaking engagement was less than the $188,000 that MCSquared reported paying her talent agency.

MCSquared paid $330,000 to the American Program Bureau in 2013 and 2014, documents show. That agency represents actor Danny Glover, who has been active in the anti-Chevron campaign.

No, Not That One (NSFW)

Something important to keep in mind here. Celebrities often get paid to do their so-called charity work. It's not really their fault when these things go wrong; they aren't experts, just paid spokes people.

The PR firm’s lawsuit, first reported by the New York Daily News, reveals that it recruited an additional three celebrities through APB: Stone, anti-energy activist and writer Antonia Juhasz, and Alexandra Cousteau, the granddaughter of French explorer Jacques Cousteau.

MCSquared alleges that APB canceled Stone’s appearance at an event in Ecuador, scheduled for April 2014, but never returned the $275,000 it was paid for the event.

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