Ever since her breakthrough role in 1997 with The Devil’s Advocate, Charlize Theron’s success train has not come to a halt. With films like Mad Max: Fury Road, The Addams Family, and Trial and Error, the actress has been ruling across genres. On top of that, she endorses several brands that bring her the big bucks. Things seem to be going well for Charlize Theron.

Charlize Theron

However, this was not always the case. During a point in her career, Charlize Theron was sued by a watch-making company and it’s a reason we common folks will never relate to. While getting sued is a part of the life that comes with being a huge star in the entertainment industry, Charlize Theron was facing the possibility of having to pay a staggering sum of $20 million to the company.

The Contract That Charlize Theron Breached

Charlize Theron in an advertisement for Raymond Weil

Quite a few years ago, Raymond Weil, a luxury watch-making company, made a deal with Charlize Theron that was worth $3 million. According to the million-dollar deal, Theron was asked to only sport watches made by the company from October 2005 to December 2006. Easy enough, right?

Additionally, the deal did not allow her to endorse or advertise jewelry from other companies and/or people during the eighteen months. As a return, Raymond Weil would get the right to use Theron’s name, image, and endorsement in their advertisements.

While this sounds simple and pretty straightforward, Theron ended up violating the terms of the contract. This led to Raymond Weil suing the Hancock actress for a whopping $20 million in 2008.

How Charlize Theron Violated Her Contract

Charlize Theron at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards

According to a judicial decision filed in New York’s U.S. District Court, Theron had another endorsement deal for Dior’s J’Adore perfume. Owing to this, the actress could be seen on the company’s website wearing special jewelry that was designed for the campaign.

Additionally, Theron also donned a watch by Christian Dior at a film festival and was seen advertising Montblanc jewelry on a billboard. According to the report by Forbes, the filing from September 30, 2008, revealed that the actress was rewarded generously to wear different brands’ jewelry at different events during the period of the deal with Raymond Weil. The report writes,
“The Sept. 30 filing also revealed Theron was paid $200,000 to don Chopard baubles to the 2006 Oscars, and another $50,000 to sport gems at the same year’s BAFTA Awards in London.”
This also includes the time when Theron was gifted a $35,000 ring, $8,000 earrings, and $7,000 bracelet from Cartier for wearing the brand’s jewels at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards.

The legal dispute between the watch-making company and the actress was settled on November 04, 2008. The New York District Court judge had dismissed a few portions of the company’s suit and therefore how much Theron actually ended up paying the company was not disclosed.