A US couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their mansion in June is suing the photographer who captured the incident.
Personal injury lawyers Mark and Patricia McCloskey gained worldwide attention when they brandished an assault rifle and a pistol at demonstrators in St Louis, Missouri on June 28.
The Black Lives Matter protesters had marched down their private street in the wealthy suburb of Central West End, on their way to Mayor Lyda Krewson's house.
Bill Greenblatt, a United Press International photographer, recorded the incident and later uploaded some images to social media, which went viral.
On Friday the McCloskeys filed a lawsuit in the St Louis Circuit Court against Greenblatt and the United Press International, the St Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The couple allege Greenblatt was trespassing on their property when he took the photo.
The lawsuit says the photo has contributed to their "significant national recognition and infamy" and they have since received death threats and more protesters have come to their property.
Mark and Patricia McCloskey are also suing Redbubble Inc, an online marketplace, for selling merchandise with the couple's image.
The couple said the products bearing their faces are often accompanied by "mocking and pejorative taglines or captions," causing them "humiliation, mental anguish, and severe emotional distress".
From the lawsuits, the couple is asking for damages and have asked the court to ban the use of the photo and transfer ownership of it to them.
This comes after United Press International considered sending the couple a "cease and desist" order after they used the photo for a personal greeting card.
