Senate Candidate Tricked On TV, Files $95M Lawsuit

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Unaware of comedians reputation, Senate candidate says he was tricked on the TV show.

JACKSON, AL - NOVEMBER 14: Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Judge Roy Moore speaks during a campaign event at the Walker Springs Road Baptist Church on November 14, 2017 in Jackson, Alabama. The embattled candidate has been accused of sexual misconduct with underage girls when he was in his 30s. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore says he didn't know he was dealing with comedian Sacha Baron Cohen when he agreed to appear on a television show, his lawyers wrote in court filings last month.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Actor Sacha Baron Cohen, dressed as his character 'General Aladeen,' arrives at the 84th Annual Academy Awards held at the Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2012 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

 

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Sacha Baron Cohen attends the World premiere of "Grimsby" at Odeon Leicester Square on February 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

Moore in September filed a $95 million defamation lawsuit over his appearance on Baron Cohen's "Who is America?"  In court filings, Moore argued the agreement he signed waiving legal claims from the appearance is unenforceable because of fraud.

MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 17: Sacha Baron Cohen attends 'El Hormiguero' Tv Show at Vertice Studio on March 17, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images)

Moore said he was told he was receiving an award for supporting Israel and instead was lampooned as a possible pedophile. Moore said the agreement he signed had "zero" mention of Cohen.

The segment ran after Moore faced misconduct accusations during the 2017 Senate race in Alabama. He denied the accusations.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Mark Strong and Sacha Baron Cohen attend the World premiere of "Grimsby" at Odeon Leicester Square on February 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

In the segment, Baron Cohen appeared as faux counterterrorism instructor "Col. Erran Morad," discussing bogus military technology, including a supposed pedophile detector. The device repeatedly beeped as it got near Moore, who sat stone-faced.

Moore signed an agreement with Yerushalayim TV, a company registered in Wyoming, waiving all legal claims from the appearance.

WESTWOOD, CA - MARCH 03: Producer/writer/actor Sacha Baron Cohen attends the premiere of Columbia Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures "The Brothers Grimsby" at Regency Village Theatre on March 3, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Defense lawyers wrote in court filings that Yerushalayim TV is wholly owned by Cohen. Moore's attorneys wrote that the agreement did not disclose the intent of the program and who was behind it.

"The first misrepresentation was that Judge Moore was being flown to Washington D.C. 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. .... It is clear that defendants knew that they had to disguise their identity, otherwise plaintiffs would never have agreed to appear on "Who is America?" Moore's attorney wrote.

FAIRHOPE, AL - SEPTEMBER 25: Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alabama, Roy Moore, speaks at a campaign rally on September 25, 2017 in Fairhope, Alabama. Moore is running in a primary runoff election against incumbent Luther Strange for the seat vacated when Jeff Sessions was appointed U.S. Attorney General by President Donald Trump. The runoff election is scheduled for September 26. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

 

The agreement Moore signed mandates disputes will be heard in New York. In the court filing, Moore opposes moving the lawsuit from Washington D.C., where the segment was filmed, to New York.

Baron Cohen has faced past lawsuits over similar pranks, but those actions faltered because the individuals had signed releases.

 

 

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 07: Karla Martinez and Sacha Baron Cohen on the set of Univision's "Despierta America" to promote "The Brothers Grimsby" at Univision Studios on March 7, 2016 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images)

 

A New York judge in 2008 tossed out lawsuits brought by a driving instructor and two etiquette school teachers who said they were duped into appearing in the movie "Borat" in which Baron Cohen plays an awkward foreign journalist traveling the United States. The judge said they accepted money and signed agreements releasing the filmmakers from liability.

Moore agreed to accept $200 for the charity of his choice, according to the agreement.

 

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