Score another one for the comedians, against the people offended by their comedy.
Judge Terry Friedman of Los Angeles County Superior Court dismissed a
libel lawsuit brought against Mr. Cohen, HBO and the British
broadcaster Channel 4 by a woman who said Mr. Cohen had used her name
in a comedy routine.
Judge Friedman's ruling:
No reasonable person could consider the statements made by Ali G on the
program to be factual. To the contrary, it is obvious that the Ali G
character is absurd, and all his statements are gibberish and intended
as comedy. The actor, Sacha Baron Cohen, never strays from the Ali G
character, who is dressed in a ridiculous outfit and speaks in the
exaggerated manner of a rap artist. Ali G’s statements are similarly
absurd. For example, prior to the reference to Plaintiff, while
‘interviewing’ the author Gore Vidal, Ali G refers to the Constitution
of the United States as having been written on two tablets, clearly
intended to confuse the Constitution with the Ten Commandments.
Altogether, the program is obviously a spoof of a serious interview
program. No reasonable person could think otherwise.
It does kind of sound like Judge Friedman is an Ali G fan, no? Anyway, here's the "libelous" Ali G interview with Gore Vidal - the part that so offended is where Ali G talks about a former girlfriend who "amended herself"...
PREVIOUSLY:
"American Idol" Wants Sacha Baron Cohen For The Season 8 Finale
Sacha Baron Cohen Punks "Medium"
"Family Guy" Wins Court Battle [VIDEO]
