‘Fearless Girl’ Lawsuit Is Over but the Statue’s Fate Is Unsettled

The artist who created the “Fearless Girl” sculpture that stands across from the New York Stock Exchange, hands on both hips in defiance, has settled a lawsuit with the financial firm that commissioned the statue, according to court filings.

The 250-pound bronze statue was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors to express its support for gender diversity in the corporate world, and faced the “Charging Bull” sculpture when it was installed in Bowling Green in 2017. It was moved to its current location in 2018.

State Street sued the artist, Kristen Visbal, in 2019, alleging that she had committed breach of contract and trademark infringement by selling replicas of the sculpture. Visbal denied the allegations and filed a counterclaim saying that State Street had impeded her ability to spread the artwork’s message of gender equality.

State Street and Visbal reached the settlement shortly before a trial scheduled for Monday.

“The parties are proud of the dialogue and change that ‘Fearless Girl’ has inspired over the past seven years,” the two sides wrote in a brief joint statement.

A lawyer for Visbal declined to comment on the details of the settlement. Lawyers for State Street did not respond to requests for comment.

The future of the statue remains uncertain.

In 2021, State Street requested a 10-year permit from the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. The panel ultimately voted to keep the sculpture at its current location for another three years but deferred the final decision to the Public Design Commission, a panel appointed by the mayor.

In April 2022, the Public Design Commission voted to extend the sculpture’s temporary permit for 11 months. That permit has now expired, according to a spokeswoman from the mayor’s office.

In an email, the spokeswoman said that the city was working with Visbal and State Street to create a proposal for the statue’s fate and that the Public Design Commission would review the project once it was officially submitted.