Woody Allen wins early round in ad case

Filmmaker Woody Allen has won the latest round of his bitter legal battle against clothing firm American Apparel after the judge ruled that he doesn’t have to prove the company’s advertisements are “sleazy”.

The 73-year-old director had sued the clothing giants for 6.9 million pounds last year, and claimed they used his likeness on billboards without his consent.

He also branded them “sexually gross, in a witless and infantile way”.

The firm’s bosses hit back by challenging Allen to back up his allegations by identifying the ads to which he referred.

"There is no reason to require him to identify specific advertisements that he finds distasteful," the Daily Express quoted Judge Thomas Griesa as saying.