Roy Moore sues comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for $95 million

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: AL.com

Roy Moore sues comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for $95 million

Updated 3:18 PM; Posted 2:46 PM

By Paul Gattis [e-mail]

Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and his wife, Kayla, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday for $95 million against comedian Sacha Baron Cohen after mocking Moore on a recent episode of his Showtime series.

The episode aired July 29 (1) with Cohen submitting an unwitting Moore to a test to determine if he was a pedophile. On the show, Cohen determined that Moore failed the test.

The lawsuit also names Showtime Networks Inc. and CBS Corporation as defendants.

The joke played off accusations made against Moore last year in the final month of his U.S. Senate campaign won by Doug Jones. Moore has repeatedly denied all accusations made by women against him in The Washington Post and AL.com.

(1) https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/07/roy_moore_pranked_by_cohen.html

Read more: https://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/09/roy_moore_sues_comedian_sacha.html

---

Hat tip, Joe.My.God: Roy Moore Sues Sacha Baron Cohen For Defamation

http://www.joemygod.com/2018/09/05/roy-moore-sues-sacha-baron-cohen-for-defamation/

The Hill reports: (2)

Former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore (R) sued actor and director Sacha Baron Cohen on Wednesday alleging that Cohen defamed Moore and caused emotional stress to the judge and his wife by tricking them into appearing on the Showtime program “Who is America?”

In a court filing, the judge and his wife allege that Cohen’s use of a disguise and false pretenses to lure Moore and his wife Kayla to Washington, D.C. for a supposed awards ceremony and interview constituted fraud.

Cohen went on during the interview, which aired on Showtime earlier this year as part of his latest comedy program targeting Republicans and conservatives, to “defame” Moore by using a device “supposedly invented by the Israeli Army to detect pedophiles” to label Moore as such on the program.

See the full court filing here. (3)

(2) http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/405201-roy-moore-sues-sacha-baron-cohen-for-defamation

(3) https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4829377-Complaint.html

[hlthe2b]

1. Roy has to show (among other things) damages to his reputation--what reputation?!

[47of74]

14. And Roy is a public figure too

So he has to show actual malice in addition to all the other things he would have to show.

And if he doesn't like being a public figure....well he made that bed so it's time for him to lie in the fucking thing.

[Nitram]

57. The irony is that the only reason Moore fell into Baron's trap is that he was after more publicity.

[Xipe Totec]

2. ...

[VMA131Marine]

3. Moore is trying to stay relevant

He will lose this lawsuit badly.

[sakabatou]

4. I have no sympathy for Moore

[Racerdog1]

5. Can't fix stupid.

This moron is living proof. Only in Alabama.

[Cryptoad]

49. I dont think Stupid is exclusive to Alabama!

[Snake Plissken]

6. Roy Moore is about to find out how few friends he has.

When nobody donates any money to his fund to cover his legal fees.

I can't see an attorney being stupid enough to take on this ridiculous case without a retainer.

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. ***k him and the horse he rode in on.

[shanny]

10. Leave poor Sassy out of it: she's suffered enough.

just sayin'

[Bengus81]

8. Bawhahhahahaaaaa!!! No luck winning the Lottery Roy??

[bucolic_frolic]

9. The defenses against such might include

satire, caricature, and truth.

[Yavin4]

11. Did he ever concede? n/t

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

12. Did Cohen say that Roy Moore was a pedophile?

It seemed like he just asked some questions, and had a beeping toy. That's going to be some strange jury deliberation.

[NurseJackie]

13. Ha!! :-D

[mahatmakanejeeves]

15. It's lawsplainer time! Today's edition: Roy Moore v. Sacha Baron Cohen. Ugh. Seriously?

Please unroll the thread.

It's lawsplainer time! Today's edition: Roy Moore v. Sacha Baron Cohen.

Ugh. Seriously? /1

Link to tweet

[47of74]

35. Butthurt in the first degree

Link to tweet

[NurseJackie]

16. Most normal people had already forgotten about it...

... but this lawsuit just makes it all new again. It will make even MORE people want to see what all the fuss is about.

[DFW]

17. There is perjury already on the first page

Moore is at a "Foundation for Moral Law??"

Moore associating himself with an organization with such name already amounts to perjury.

[charliea]

21. Associating?!!

Nah it's better than that, he founded it:

Foundation for Moral Law - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_for_Moral_Law

The Foundation for Moral Law was established in 2003 by Republican politician Roy Moore. ... Moore publicly said that he did not draw a "regular salary" from the organization. In October 2017, however, The Washington Post reported that Moore had arranged an annual salary of $180,000 for himself from the foundation.


Sorta like the tRump charitable organization, a personal piggy bank...

[DFW]

23. His name and the word "moral" go together like maple syrup and Dijon mustard. n/t

[cstanleytech]

24. Actually there are a number of recipes that use both together such as

http://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/easy-maple-dijon-chicken/

[DFW]

54. Just my luck!

[irresistable]

30. "Foundation for Moral Law" Unintentional irony there....

Is Roy Moore the director of their teen outreach program?

[reACTIONary]

46. +10 nm

[KY_EnviroGuy]

33. "Moral Law" according to the Southern evangelical canon.....

dropped down on stone tablets for only Roy's eyes to see....... .......

[Fred Sanders]

43. Identifies himself as former Chief Justice, totally extraneous mention, and his wife is not

worthy of any further mention.

And Larry Klayman is the lawyer? Moore truly is the definition of stupid aand shameless.

[SWBTATTReg]

50. And he was removed from that office as chief justice I thought? nt

[Fred Sanders]

51. Yes, he should have added "Disgraced and impeached former Chief..." Perjury?

[Whiskeytide]

61. Twice. n/t

[Renew Deal]

18. Why not $95 billion?

[7962]

19. Hey look; its a lawsuit he ACTUALLY filed!!

But I dont know, he may have a case on this. Then again, satire has a loooong leash

[djacq]

20. Moore's Attorneys must've missed the class on Fair Use

[link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use#Parody|

[Bernardo de La Paz]

25. Fair use does not apply. Moore is not a created manifestation of media. . . . . nt

[edbermac]

22. He'll be as successful as FOX suing Al Franken.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_v._Franken

[Eliot Rosewater]

26. When he loses and he will, Moore, i hope he has to pay court costs

I saw it at NO time did Cohen call him ANYTHING

[HopeAgain]

27. Who introduces themselves in the first paragraph of general allegations as

"Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama"?

[reACTIONary]

47. Especially when "former"means.,.,

..... kicked out".

[dlk]

28. Moore is Desperate for Money

However, as a public figure, the bar to prove damages is higher. It’s ironic how much those in the party of tort reform love filing lawsuits.

[sinkingfeeling]

29. Like that will ever be heard.

[The Liberal Lion]

31. The funniest part is the name of their foundation

True to republican form they call themselves the OPPOSITE of what they actually are. Here theirs is the foundation of MORAL LAW. That is fucking rich. Hey Roy Moore, thanks for the laugh.

[Gothmog]

32. Hurting someone's feeling is a tort?

This will be a fun case to watch

What is the status of Moore's lawsuit against his victims?

[47of74]

34. Yeah in GOP land it is.

Of course Roy's hero Fuck Face has risen that to the level of an art form;

Earlier this week, Tony Schwartz—the guy who ghostwrote Trump's 1987 bestseller The Art of the Deal—told the New Yorker some less than flattering things about the presidential nominee.

Donald Trump responded like he usually does when someone does something he doesn't agree with: He slapped Schwartz with an angry cease-and-desist letter, demanding Schwartz pay back all the royalties he earned for writing the book.

The New York Times, which got its hands on the letter, reports that Trump asked Schwartz make "written assurances that you will not generate or disseminate any misleading or inaccurate information or make any baseless accusations with respect to Mr. Trump."

"It's nuts and completely indicative of who he is," Schwartz told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC Wednesday. "There's no basis of anything legal. I suspect that Donald Trump called up his chief legal officer and said, 'Go after that guy and do whatever you have to do.'"

[KY_EnviroGuy]

36. Grifters will grift, yaw'll.

Bless his little heart...........

[paleotn]

37. No lawyer here, but...

It doesn't appear to me that Cohn defamed anyone. Maybe Moore should sue himself for self defamation?

[OilemFirchen]

38. Dear Roy,

I'd like to introduce you to a an old local:



Something tells me you're quite familiar with his work.

If not, he's responsible for this:



Should all of this seem alien, I'd recommend you read this:

Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Falwell, 485 U.S. 46 (1988)

[TeamPooka]

39. America looks forward to Moore's deposition and the due diligence it reveals.

[dameatball]

40. so the dumbass opens himself up to even more accusers coming out of the woodwork?

[Paladin]

41. Blow it out your ass, Roy Moore. (nt)

[Marcuse]

42. Let the Discovery begin.

Mr Moore, how many underage girls have you had sexual intercourse with?

[byronius]

44. Aaaaand Sacha wins yet again.

Right into his hands.

Shoulda read that contract, Roy. But nooooooooo.

All of the people that filed suit for Borat also lost, because Sach covers his bases.

[SunSeeker]

45. LOL He just gave Sacha Baron Cohen material for more shows!

[guillaumeb]

48. If this is a demonstration of his legal ability,

that is amazing.

[Nitram]

56. He has no legal ability, just a nose for publicity. Unfortunately he has yet to realize that all

publicity in his case is now negative. He needs to learn how to keep a low profile.

[TomSlick]

52. I hope Moore's attorney is familiar with Rule 11, FRCP.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

58. Moore will probably be represented pro se. {Edited} I'm wrong. It's Larry Klayman.

I can check (now) to see if he has counsel ( or as Trump says, "councel" ).

From the article linked to in the op:

According to the lawsuit, Moore attempted to stop the episode from airing. Moore attorney Melissa Isaak "sent a preemptive notice to Defendants Showtime, CBS and thus Cohen warning them that Plaintiffs would resort to appropriate legal remedies if they chose to air the segment," the lawsuit said.

Isaak Law Firm, Divorce Attorneys for Men

https://twitter.com/Protectingmen

I left my Federal Rules of Civil Procedure at home. Criminal Procedure, too. Per Google:

Rule 11. Signing Pleadings, Motions, and Other Papers; Representations to the Court; Sanctions

(a) Signature. Every pleading, written motion, and other paper must be signed by at least one attorney of record in the attorney's name—or by a party personally if the party is unrepresented. The paper must state the signer's address, e-mail address, and telephone number. Unless a rule or statute specifically states otherwise, a pleading need not be verified or accompanied by an affidavit. The court must strike an unsigned paper unless the omission is promptly corrected after being called to the attorney's or party's attention.

{snip}

{Edited}

Go to page 10 of this: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4829377-Complaint.html

[TomSlick]

60. More importantly, violation of Rule 11 carries the risk of sanctions.

(c) Sanctions.

(1) In General. If, after notice and a reasonable opportunity to respond, the court determines that Rule 11(b) has been violated, the court may impose an appropriate sanction on any attorney, law firm, or party that violated the rule or is responsible for the violation. Absent exceptional circumstances, a law firm must be held jointly responsible for a violation committed by its partner, associate, or employee.

. . .

(4) Nature of a Sanction. A sanction imposed under this rule must be limited to what suffices to deter repetition of the conduct or comparable conduct by others similarly situated. The sanction may include nonmonetary directives; an order to pay a penalty into court; or, if imposed on motion and warranted for effective deterrence, an order directing payment to the movant of part or all of the reasonable attorney's fees and other expenses directly resulting from the violation.

[mucifer]

53. More publicity for Sacha! That's a good thing.

[Nitram]

55. Ha, ha, good luck with that, Roy the Pedophile.

The courts give a lot of leeway to satire.

[Maxheader]

59. Being a pervert is just so hard

to face up to....