Celebrity product endorsements when product is defective

Factual Questions
1

A question came up at work about celebrity endorsements of prescription drugs.

Celebrity A is hired to endorse Company X. Company X introduces drug Z into the market, bunches of people are injured, and drug Z is recalled. Later, it’s determined that Company X knew all along about the dangers, but ignored them.

Assuming there’s no “exit” clause in the celebrity’s endorsement contract, is the celebrity still required to endorse the company after the deception? I know YANAL and I am not your client, of course.

Len

2

…waiting for one of the lawyers that cruises the board to chime in about how an act in bad faith on the part of X that could damage A’s good name would make it hard for X to enforce the contract.