Judge orders Warner Bros to pay €25,000 to businessman after his photo appeared in Ben Affleck film

Ben Affleck played a man working for the mafia in the 2016 film The Accountant

A judge in Spain has ordered Warner Bros to pay €25,000 (£23,000) in damages to a Moroccan businessman whose photograph appeared in a 2016 Ben Affleck film.

The unnamed businessman was alerted to his image being used in The Accountant by his son.

The film tells the story of a financial wizard, played by Affleck, who moves money for the mafia.

The Moroccan man’s face is visible for less than a second in the 115 minute film, and his photo had been taken from a genuine FBI arrest warrant, issued in connection with an alleged computer fraud in 2004.

However, the court ruled that the man’s photograph had been used in the film “without any kind of consent, be it tacit or explicit” and that it had appeared under a label reading: “Suspected Gambino family associates”.

Affleck starred alongside Anna Kendrick in the film

The Moroccan man had spent time in prison in Spain, and his photo from the warrant was circulated online, yet he argued, according to The Guardian, that his reputation had been damaged by the film.

The judge in Valencia agreed, saying the plaintiff was “someone very affected by how he is represented and how his image is used.”

Warner Bros has not responded to the judge’s ruling.