Reality show voters demand money back

Contestant Omer Adam leaves 'Star is Born' reality show after producers discover he lied about his age in order to compete in program. Now his fans are demanding money back for the text message votes they sent. One ambitious fan files class action suit against networks for NIS 6 million

Amit Cutler|Published: 08.18.09 , 07:50

Dozens of fans who voted for A Star is Born singer, Omer Adam, before he was disqualified for his young age decided to demand they be compensated for the money they spent voting for Adam via text message. They claim that a grave injustice has been done to them and that they wasted their money for naught.

The cost of sending one text message to the Star is Born is NIS 1.50 (about $0.40).

Adam, a popular contestant on the show, was forced to bow out of the American Idol-format competition when producers found out that he lied about age. Adam claimed he was 16 and a half, when in reality he is only 15, making him too young to contend for the show's prize.

Another group of text messagers sent a letter of demand to Keshet Network, the Channel 2 franchise that airs the show, and Tedi Enterprises and Productions, Ltd., who produce the show, under the legal assistance of Attn. Ovadia Cohen and Attn. Michael Dvorin.

In the letter, they claim that they collectively sent hundreds of text messages in support of Omer Adam out of the belief that he is a legitimate contender for the grand prize and out of hopes to see him advance to the last stages of the competition.

However, on August 5 it was announced that Adam's participation in A Star is Born was in opposition to the show's rules on the minimum age required to contend. Contestants must be 16 and older in order to participate in the show. Omer Adam, it was discovered, was only 15 when he signed on. Adam immediately bowed out of the competition when the story broke.

'Severe economic damage'

The letter is an unprecedented demand, and it is unclear whether it will be received in court, mainly because what the sms senders received in exchange for the remains vague and undefined. In addition, Keshet and Tedi accepted Adam to the program in good faith based on the details he provided about himself. However, the fans in this case are claiming the affair allegedly caused them "severe economic damage," and are demanding that their money be returned.

The lawyers estimate that tens of thousands of sms messages on average were sent in support of Adam during each of the 12 episodes he competed in until his resignation. They claim that the collective damage measures hundreds of thousands of shekels. The letter of demand sent to Keshet and Tedi demands that the money be refunded immediately within seven days of receiving the letter, or a class-action case will be filed in court.

Class action for NIS 6 million

In the meantime, another Adam supporter has already taken action on the legal front. She submitted a class action suit against Keshet and Tedi on Tuesday to the Tel Aviv District Court for NIS 6 million (about $1.6 million).

The plaintiff is claiming that Omer Adam was the most loved contender on the show, and that hundreds of thousands of fans voted for him, totaling a grand sum of NIS 6 million. She asked that the group represented in the suit include everyone who sent a text message in support of Omer Adam on the show.

Keshet responded, "The class-action suit was not received by our offices. When it is received, we will be able to respond." Tedi chose to make do with Keshet's response.