NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawsuit filed by a man seen running away from
comedian Sacha Baron Cohen in his hit "Borat" film was dismissed by a
federal judge on Wednesday.
Jeffrey Lemerond, who appeared in the trailer and a 13-second clip in
"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation
of Kazakhstan," sued 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp., in
federal court in Manhattan in June.
Lemerond claimed the filmmakers unlawfully used his image after he was
seen in the movie on New York's streets running from the fictional
Kazakh television re****ter, "fleeing in apparent terror, screaming for
Mr. Cohen to 'go away,"' court do***ents said.
But U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska said the film fell under a
broad exception to that claim because it was "newsworthy." She said
while the film appealed "to the most childish and vulgar in its
viewers," it attempted "an ironic commentary of 'modern' American
culture."
Lemerond's claim was one of several suits filed by people who
complained they were duped into appearing in the fake do***entary.
Two residents of the southern Romanian village that served as Borat's
"hometown" in the film had filed a $30 million lawsuit, which was also
dismissed on Wednesday.
Nicolae Todorache, a one-armed grandfather, and Spiridom Ciorebea
claimed the film wrongly depicted them and others from the village of
Glod as rapists, abortionists, prostitutes and thieves. They failed to
file papers in the case on time.
Last year, a Los Angeles judge also threw out a lawsuit filed by two
college fraternity members shown in the film guzzling alcohol and
making racist remarks.
Reuters/Nielsen
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080402/film_nm/borat_lawsuit_dc;_ylt=An1Xhcqd4IBJouomNvNxLe5xFb8C
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