Suppose a celebrity digs his nose or scratches his private part because of sudden itch or performs some unsightly act in public. Someone takes his picture/video and uploads onto internet without his permission. The celebrity is shamed in public. By depicting the celebrity in an unflattering light, his value as a celebrity is diminished.
Can the celebrity sue for damages since the pictures/video were taken without his permission? His privacy has also been violated.
Assume celebrity is American.
As per this question & answer, in the US there is no expectation of privacy in public places (not to be confused with private places where public is allowed e.g. supermarkets). Photos taken in public belong to the photo taker and he/she is free to use them in whatever way. No privacy is violated here.
The fact that the person whose photo was taken was a celebrity does not change anything. It would have been completely their fault to expect privacy in a public place and behave rashly.
If you're talking about the United States, the celebrity will lose this case:
Just because a person expects to lose a case may not stop them vexatiously suing you as a discouragement / punishment - if they can afford a big legal bill and you can't, just the threat of a big court case can be too much of a risk for a lot of people.
The UK courts in particular have been used for libel tourism as documented in Private Eye magazine - and they know plenty about libel!
Yes. Anyone can sue anyone for any reason.
There is no expectation that they will succeed at their suit, it could be a completely frivolous waste of time and money.
