Actor Sacha Baron Cohen and Late Show host David Letterman are being sued by a Palestinian shopkeeper who alleges that he was portrayed as a terrorist in the comedy film Bruno.
The actor also faced a number of lawsuits – most of which were dismissed – after the movie’s prequel Borat.
In the movie, Cohen plays a homosexual and flamboyant Austrian fashion journalist named Bruno who’s trying to make it big in the United States. In order to gain fame all around the world, Bruno travels to the Middle East at one point to make peace and interviews shopkeeper Ayman Abu Aita.
Abu Aita filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court seeking $97.3 million (£67.5 million) in damages for both slander and libel after claiming he was labeled as a member of Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade in the film.
Abu Aita is not only suing Cohen, he’s also suing CBS and Letterman’s company Worldwide Pants over an interview prior to the movie’s release. Abu Aita claims Letterman and Cohen discussed the character Bruno’s encounter with a “terrorist” – aiming the conversation at Abu Aita’s character in the film.
In the interview, Cohen said he set up the meeting with Abu Aita in the West Bank with the help of a CIA agent and said he feared for his safety and interviewed the “terrorist” at a secret location chosen by Abu Aita.
According to his filed lawsuit, that interview took place at a hotel chosen by the actor that was located in a part of the West Bank that was under Israeli military control.
Lawyer Joseph Drennan said Abu Aita was never offered a release to sign to appear in the movie. Shouldn’t everyone in the movie biz be aware of ways to avoid such lawsuits?
