Defamation suit against Baron Cohen is rejected
An appeals court Thursday rejected a $95million defamation lawsuit against comedian Sacha Baron Cohen filed by former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who said he was tricked into a television appearance that lampooned sexual misconduct accusations against him.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, upholding a lower court's ruling in favor of Baron Cohen, said Moore signed a disclosure agreement that prohibited any legal claims over the appearance.
The three judges also found it was “clearly comedy” when Baron Cohen demonstrated a socalled pedophile detector that beeped when it got near Moore, and no viewer would think the comedian was making factual allegations against Moore.
The lawsuit centered on Moore's unwitting appearance on the comic's “Who Is America?” show. The segment ran after Moore faced misconduct accusations during Alabama's 2017 U.S. Senate race that he had pursued sexual and romantic relationships with teens when he was a man in his 30s. He denied the allegations.
Moore and his wife, Kayla, sued, arguing the waiver he signed was unenforceable because it was obtained under a false representation.
They have indicated they will appeal.
Beach, CA, on Sunday.
Brad Pitt says he thinks he has facial blindness
If you run into Brad Pitt, chances are he won't recognize you the second time around. That's because the award-winning actor says Pitt he suffers from facial blindness, also known as prosopagnosia, causing him to struggle to remember people's faces. Although he has not been officially diagnosed, Pitt, 58, says in a new interview with GQ that he believes he has it.
“Nobody believes me!” he said. “I wanna meet another [person with it].”
Pitt told GQ he wants to remember the people he meets and fears his struggle has given people the impression he's aloof.
Accuser drops sex lawsuit against singer Trey Songz
At the accuser's request, a judge has dismissed a $20 million lawsuit filed by a woman who accused singer Trey Songz of sexual assault at a 2016party in West Hills.
A lawyer for the plaintiff, identified only as Jane Doe in her Los Angeles Superior Court suit, filed court papers June 29with Judge Richard L. Fruin asking that her case be dismissed “without prejudice,” meaning it can be revived later. The lawsuit was formally dismissed Wednesday. The court papers did not state whether Doe reached a settlement with the 37-year-old Songz or if she was not pursuing the case for other reasons.