Palestinian grocer settles defamation suit against 'Bruno'
Ayman Abu Aita was described as a member of militant Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade in Sacha Baron Cohen's 2009 movie and filed a $110 million suit against him • Lawyer says case settled to "mutual satisfaction of everyone involved.
, עודכן
A Palestinian grocer who sued comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for $110 million for calling him a terrorist in his 2009 film Bruno has reached a settlement with the star. Ayman Abu Aitas lawyer announced that a settlement had been agreed upon in the defamation case on Thursday.
Abu Aita was interviewed by Cohen for Bruno, a mockumentary in which Cohen plays an Austrian fashion journalist aiming to make peace in the Middle East. When Abu Aita appears on screen, he is labeled as a member of the militant Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade.
Abu Aita said in his court complaint that when the actor interviewed him in character, he believed that he was speaking to a real journalist about peace activism. He said he was a Christian and "a peace-loving person" who had never been associated with the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade or any terrorist group. Abu Aita also said he never signed a release to appear in the movie.
TV host David Letterman, on whose show Cohen appeared in character as Bruno, was also named in the lawsuit, which originally demanded $110 million in compensation. The details of the settlement are confidential, with Abu Aitas attorney saying the case was settled "to the mutual satisfaction" of everyone involved.
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