Sacha Baron Cohen asks judge to dismiss lawsuit by US politician Roy Moore
British-Jewish comedian makes request over section in his 'Who Is America?' TV show, in which he lampoons politician Roy Moore
Ali G comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has asked a US federal judge to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by American politician Roy Moore.
The lawsuit is over a television segment that lampooned Moore in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations.
Lawyers representing the British comic wrote last week in a joint court filing that Moore signed an agreement waiving all legal claims before appearing on the Who Is America? TV show.
They said in the agreement that Moore waived claims related to the programme and anyone associated with it. They also said the segment was satire and is protected under the First Amendment right on freedom of speech in the US constitution.
“This lawsuit conflicts directly with the long tradition of First Amendment protection for political parody and satire of public figures – especially where the satirical work ‘could not reasonably have been interpreted as stating actual facts about the public figure involved,'” lawyers wrote.
The segment ran after Moore faced misconduct accusations during his bid to run for the US Senate in Alabama in 2017. He has denied the allegations and is running for Senate again in 2020.
Moore said he was told he was receiving an award for supporting Israel when he agreed to appear on the show. Instead, Baron Cohen lampooned him as a possible paedophile.
In the segment, Baron Cohen appeared as faux counter-terrorism instructor “Colonel Erran Morad,” discussing bogus military technology, including a supposed paedophile detector. The device repeatedly beeped as it got near Moore, who sat stone-faced.
Moore argued that the waiver was fraudulently obtained because it did not disclose he was dealing with the comic.
Baron Cohen has faced past lawsuits over similar pranks, but those actions were thrown out because the individuals had signed releases.
In 2008, a New York judge threw out lawsuits brought by a driving instructor and two etiquette school teachers who said they were duped into appearing in the movie Borat in which Baron Cohen plays an awkward foreign journalist travelling the United States. The judge said they accepted money and signed agreements releasing the filmmakers from liability.
Moore agreed to accept 200 US dollars for the charity of his choice, according to the agreement.
Moore filed the lawsuit in Washington, DC, but it was moved to New York, where the agreement mandates that disputes would be heard.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
