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Suing Borat

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from: Bonnie Goldstein

Posted Monday, Nov. 13, 2006, at 8:46 PM ET

Sacha Baron Cohen, whose Borat is an enormous hit, specializes in lulling unsuspecting citizens into making asses of themselves. This is not everyone's idea of a good time. Two Chi Psis from the University of South Carolina who, while apparently very drunk, were coaxed by "Borat" (Cohen's fictional Kazakh culture minister) into agreeing that slavery was a good idea, filed a complaint in Los Angeles County Superior Court last week against 20th Century Fox, which distributed Borat, and various other people and entities associated with the film. The complaint alleges fraud, rescission of contract, false light, appropriation of likeness, and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The two plaintiffs' names are withheld from the complaint, but the Smoking Gun Web site has identified one of them as Justin Seay.

The document, posted in full by TMZ.com, is reproduced below and on the following 17 pages. A separate account, by a third frat brother who is not participating in the lawsuit, can be found here. One immediate handicap the two fraternity brothers bring to this legal battle is an inability to find an attorney who knows how to spell "aisle" (see page two).

[Update, Nov. 15: The Borat consent agreement that the Chi Psis signed, referenced at the bottom of page five as "Exhibit 1," seems to have gone missing at the Santa Monica courthouse. To read it, click here. To read the Borat location agreement, click here. To read an "Explainer" column by Daniel Engber about both, click here.]

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from: Bonnie Goldstein

Posted Monday, Nov. 13, 2006, at 8:46 PM ET
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Bonnie Goldstein is a former special investigator to the U.S. Senate and investigative producer for ABC News.
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