Ashley Alexandra Dupre Slow Plays Joe Francis, Then Goes All-In

Many had wondered when Dupre would use her claim to infamy to strike it rich.

Ashley Alexandra Dupre filed suit today against Joe Francis, the owner of the "Girls Gone Wild" brand, for $10 million, contending her name and image are being used without her consent.

Dupre, who was exposed as the prostitute involved with former Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York, was offered $1 million by Francis to pose for and promote his line of "Girls Gone Wild" DVDs, featuring young college-age girls stripping for cameras at Spring Break and other party locations. The offer was rescinded when Francis discovered Dupree, under one of her many other names and aliases, had already filmed seven tapes and lived on the 'girls Gone Wild" bus for a week in 2003.

Many had wondered when Dupre would use her claim to infamy to strike it rich. Speculation that she would pose for Penthouse or Playboy ran rampant. The owner of Vivid Video promised to make het the world's top porn star, if she wished. Yet she kept quiet.

Now it can be seen why. In a masterstroke of poker skills, Dupre allowed Francis to rake in cash, using her recorded images and name as an advertising draw. Only now does she step forward to claim all that money as her own, revealing that she may have held the winning hand from the start, and just let Francis drive the pot up for her.

Francis has contracts signed by Dupre, but the film may have been shot when she was 17, and too young to be bound by a contract. Her lawyer contends she "did not understand the magnitude of her actions, nor that her image and likeness would be displayed in videos and DVDs."

This seems preposterous, considering she was on a bus named for the DVD company  "Girls Gone Wild", and posed for over seven tapes stripping, dancing erotically, and making out with other girls. To not know the intent of Francis at that point would require Dupre to be legally an idiot; of course, that may be her lawyer's contention before he's done.

In any case, Francis finds his legal troubles to once again be climbing. Still dealing with IRS audits and civil suits by other underage models, Francis may benefit in the future by taking a poker class and learning that all-important lesson: patience. As for the hooker, she has apparently already learned.