L.A. Collector Files Lawsuit Against Louis Vuitton

LOS ANGELES—Private collector Clint Arthur has filed a lawsuit against Louis Vuitton regarding Vuitton's involvement with the Takashi Murakami retrospective at Los Angeles's Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), reports the Los Angeles Times. The show, which was on view at MOCA from October 2007 to February 2008 (and is currently on view at the Brooklyn Museum through July 13), featured a Louis Vuitton luxury boutique in the middle of the exhibition space, with limited-edition prints by Murakami available for sale.

California law requires specific certification for dealers who sell limited-edition prints, and Arthur alleges that Louis Vuitton North America has not provided enough information supporting the prints' authenticity. Arthur, who bought two prints for $6,000 each, said there was no numbering on the pieces to indicate their order in their respective series of 100 (500 total were available) and claimed that without this certification, the prints are less valuable on the secondary market. The California law allows triple damages for violations, potentially creating a multimillion-dollar liability for Louis Vuitton.