A Malibu luxury boutique has accused a prominent Hollywood entertainment lawyer of attempting to defraud the store by swapping price tags on a pair of sunglasses, a claim the lawyer strongly denies. The incident, which occurred last Monday at the Kitson LA boutique, escalated after the store published surveillance footage showing a woman allegedly switching a $58 sunglasses tag with one for a $198 Ray-Ban pair before attempting to purchase the item.

Following the release of the footage, the retailer offered a $500 reward for information identifying the woman, whom it dubbed "Malibu Bianca." The store later publicly named Bianca Bezdek-Goodloe, managing partner at Goodloe Law and married to screenwriter J. Mills Goodloe, linking her to the incident. Kitson LA said it filed a police report and condemned what it described as attempts by affluent customers to take advantage of a small business.

Bezdek-Goodloe confirmed she was the woman in the video but disputed the allegations, calling the accusations defamatory and misleading. In a detailed statement, she maintained that she never intended to deceive the store. Instead, she said she noticed the price tag was incorrect and attempted to alert staff. She acknowledged folding the tag to avoid it catching on her hair while trying on the sunglasses, but said she waited patiently for the issue to be resolved before stepping out briefly for an errand at a nearby shoe repair shop. Upon returning, she claimed store employees refused to assist her and accused her of theft, resulting in her being asked to leave.

The lawyer further disputed the store’s claim that she ignored attempts to contact her through the shoe repair shop, presenting call logs to demonstrate her efforts to reach the store management. She also alleged that Kitson pressured the neighboring business to disclose her contact details by threatening legal action.

Bezdek-Goodloe described the store’s public accusations as a damaging “reality show,” asserting that she is a respected member of her community who has volunteered recently in Ukraine and provides pro bono legal services. “Am I a saint? No, but I am not a thief, kleptomaniac, or larsonist,” she said.

Kitson LA has been contacted for comment but has yet to issue a response since the lawyer’s statement. The dispute highlights tensions between high-end retailers and customers amid increasing social media exposure of alleged in-store incidents.