Another lawsuit stemming from the movie "Borat" was filed on Friday, October 22, this time in the Northern District of Alabama by the other "stars" of the dinner party scene.
In Streit v. Twentieth Century Fox, the plaintiffs allege that the defendants conspired to mislead them about the nature of the film that was being made. Allegedly, Todd Schulman of Springland Films met with plaintiff Cindy Streit, who operates an etiquette training business, and told her that they were filming a documentary for Belarus Television. According to the complaint, "Streit asked Schulman whether Belarus Television was similar to Alabama Public Television and he replied that it was very similar." Apparently reassured by this, Streit arranged for a dinner party that would be filmed for the education of the people of Belarus.
Instead, "[d]uring the dinner later that evening, Defendant [Sacha Baron] Cohen performed numerous offensive and outrageous acts" with which plaintiffs have subsequently been repeatedly associated.
The complaint does not name an amount of damages, but notes that "Borat" has earned over $220 million worldwide, compared to a production budget of only $18 million. It also seeks an injunction against the use of plaintiffs' images or any part of the "dinner scene" in the "Borat" movie itself or in any future endeavor.
Link: The Smoking Gun
