A Holocaust survivor's estate has filed a lawsuit against the creators of Sacha Baron Cohen's new Borat sequel for allegedly appropriating her likeness for commercial gain.
Judith Dim Evans' daughter Michelle Dim St. Pierre is protesting the commercial use of an interview between Cohen and the plaintiff, in which her now-deceased mother believed she would appear as a Jewish history expert. The estate claims that Evans did not consent to appear in the comedy and thought the interview was filmed for a serious documentary. Evans passed away this summer.
According to legal documents obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the estate claims that Oak Springs Production convinced Evans into participating under false pretenses, and while the team did offer to pay her for her time, she refused.
"Upon learning after giving the interview that the movie was actually a comedy intended to mock the Holocaust and Jewish culture, Ms. Evans was horrified and upset," the lawsuit said. "Had Ms. Evans been informed about the true nature of the film and purpose for the interview, she would not have agreed to participate in the interview."
While Cohen himself is Jewish, his Borat character has a long history of satirical anti-Semitism. Cohen was not named in the suit.
The estate is seeking less than $75,000 USD in damages and wants the interview removed from the film. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is scheduled to arrive on Prime Video next on October 23.
Judith Dim Evans' daughter Michelle Dim St. Pierre is protesting the commercial use of an interview between Cohen and the plaintiff, in which her now-deceased mother believed she would appear as a Jewish history expert. The estate claims that Evans did not consent to appear in the comedy and thought the interview was filmed for a serious documentary. Evans passed away this summer.
According to legal documents obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the estate claims that Oak Springs Production convinced Evans into participating under false pretenses, and while the team did offer to pay her for her time, she refused.
"Upon learning after giving the interview that the movie was actually a comedy intended to mock the Holocaust and Jewish culture, Ms. Evans was horrified and upset," the lawsuit said. "Had Ms. Evans been informed about the true nature of the film and purpose for the interview, she would not have agreed to participate in the interview."
While Cohen himself is Jewish, his Borat character has a long history of satirical anti-Semitism. Cohen was not named in the suit.
The estate is seeking less than $75,000 USD in damages and wants the interview removed from the film. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is scheduled to arrive on Prime Video next on October 23.
