In 2005, Nussenzweig learned of the photograph and filed a lawsuit, claiming that diCorcia and Pace/MacGill had violated his privacy rights under Sections 50 and 51 of New York's Civil Rights Law and that, as a Klausenburg Orthodox Jew, such a display would violate the Commandment in Torah against graven images. New York law prohibits the use of a person's likeness, without consent, "for advertising or for purposes of trade."
In 2005, Nussenzweig discovered the photograph and initiated a lawsuit, alleging that diCorcia and Pace/MacGill had infringed upon his right to privacy under Sections 50 and 51 of New York's Civil Rights Law, as well as violating Jewish law by displaying an image that would be considered idolatrous.