Getty/ShowtimeA judge is suing Sacha Baron Cohen for $95 million (£73 million) because of the ‘lies’ he told to get him on his programme.
Former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore appeared on Cohen’s political satire/prank show Who is America? believing he was talking with ‘anti-terror expert’ General Erran Morad.
Of course, he was actually speaking to an in-costume Cohen. In the segment, ‘Morad’ waved a ‘paedophile detector’ across Moore’s body as a demonstration. As it beeped, he pretended to look confused, saying the device must be faulty.
71-year-old Moore originally filed a claim for ‘Defamation, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress and Fraud’ regarding his appearance on Cohen’s show. And he is now claiming that he was ‘fraudulently induced’ to appear on the satire series earlier this year, as reported by Deadline.
The former Alabama Senate candidate has claimed this week that the contract he signed regarding his appearance is void, as he states the agreement referenced ‘made-up’ networks and false characters.
Specifically, Moore states that he was led to believe he was filming with the Yerushalayim TV network on February 14, but this does not exist.
ShowtimeHis most recent filing claims that Cohen, Showtime Networks, and CBS use such tactics to dupe guests into appearing on their shows.
The filing by Moore and his wife Kayla Moore states:
There are at least two primary misrepresentations at issue.
The first misrepresentation was that Judge Moore was being flown to Washington DC to receive an award for his support of Israel, when in actuality it was so that he could be falsely portrayed as a pedophile on national television.
The second misrepresentation was that the television segment was being produced by Yerushalayim TV, and not Defendant Cohen, Showtime, and CBS.
The document goes on to say:
These misrepresentations were clearly and admittedly fraudulent and material, and they induced Plaintiffs to sign the ‘Consent Agreement’
During his appearance on Who Is America? Moore appeared indignant at the suggestion it was he who had triggered the beeping, as the detector only beeped when it was pointed towards him.
Before walking off set, he informed Cohen:
I’ve been married for 33 [years] and never had an accusation of such things.
GettyLast November, multiple women made sexual misconduct allegations against Moore, with some claiming he had assaulted them when they were teenagers and he was an adult.
These allegations were made during Moore’s bid for the Alabama Senate, which he then lost to Democratic candidate Doug Jones.
Moore has continued to deny the allegations made against him, and previously made the following written statement:
These allegations are completely false and are a desperate political attack by the National Democrat Party and the Washington Post on this campaign.
Roy Moore is suing Sacha Baron Cohen on the grounds that he defamed Moore's stellar reputation as a twice-removed judge and disgraced pedophile.
— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) September 5, 2018
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12-2:30 and 7-9:30). Alternatively you can contact Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on its website or on its helpline – 0808 800 5005.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected].
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).