Heather Rae Young's Strip Club Lawsuit Drama Explained

Heather Rae Young may have began her career in acting (per IMDb), but she gained widespread fame for starring in the Netflix hit, "Selling Sunset." As her IMDb page indicates, the bubbly blonde joined the show's cast in 2019, and she has enjoyed five seasons alongside her equally-famous cast-mates like Mary Fitzgerald and Jason Oppenheim. Thanks to the reality show, she met another famous home improvement star in "Flip or Flop's" Tarek El Moussa. After Young and El Moussa wed in 2021, they made no secret of their plans to expand their family through IVF.

Young and El Moussa faced a few roadblocks along the way, but in July, the reality star happily announced her pregnancy on Instagram. "​​Surprise!!! Baby El Moussa coming early 2023!!" she wrote on the post, including a single white heart emoji at the end of her caption. A few days later, she shared another upload, explaining her "miracle baby" was the result of a natural pregnancy despite going through several medical procedures to conceive. "The odds were definitely against us, but all that matters is that it happened... I just can't wait to hold her/him in my arms," Young shared in the lengthy update. 

So with a hit reality show, a new marriage, and a baby on the way, what could possibly be wrong in Young's life? Ahem — just a particular lawsuit that Young filed against a strip club. 

Heather Rae Young is used to making headlines for her killer real estate skills, so seeing her name in the media because of some strip club drama is a little confusing. According to TMZ, the "Selling Sunset" star filed a lawsuit after it came to light that Platinum West and Platinum Plus Gentlemen's Clubs in South Carolina and Pennsylvania used an image of her in their clubs. The problem? It was without her consent. The promo posters show a photo of Young rocking a football jersey and a short skirt paired with black knee-high socks and heels. "Join us for Sunday & Monday Night Football," the flier reads. Legal docs also stated that the club used the phrase "Cheerleaders for Every Fan" in their promotion. 

According to the outlet, Young never had any agreement, nor did she receive payment from the club for using her image, which is a big no-no. Among other things, TMZ reports that Young is going after the club for defamation because the photos also make it look like she's, well, a certain kind of employee.

But, this ain't Young's first rodeo. In 2019, Dayton Daily News reports that Young, along with Carmen Electra and Jessica Hinton sued WCI Inc. for "damages and other relief arising from the misappropriation, misuse, and alteration of plaintiffs' images." The images were reportedly in 50 strip clubs across the country.