Despite her previous defense of the film's nudity, asserting that it was done "tastefully" and was "needed for the film",[22] Hussey, along with Whiting, filed a lawsuit on 3 January 2023 in the Los Angeles County Superior Court against Paramount Pictures for US$500 million, alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud, and for allowing Zeffirelli to film them in the nude without their knowledge.[23] The suit alleges that the actors feel this caused them to suffer through emotional damage and mental anguish for decades after the film's success, and left them with careers that failed to reflect that success.[24][25][26] Zeffirelli's son responded to the lawsuit critically, calling it "embarrassing" that Hussey and Whiting filed the suit "55 years after filming" and that they owe their entire careers to the success of the film.[27][28]
The lawsuit was later dismissed on 25 May 2023, by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alison Mackenzie, who stated that the case did not meet the requirements for suspending the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse. Mackenzie also criticized the plaintiffs for "cherry picking" which statutes applied to their case.[29] Hussey and Whiting are allegedly planning to appeal the ruling, as well as file a separate lawsuit based on a much more "recent Criterion DVD release of the film which would not be affected by the statute of limitations."[30]
