A lawsuit filed against “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” by the estate of a Holocaust survivor who appears in the film has been dismissed by a Georgia judge.
The estate of Judith Dim Evans, who passed away but was interviewed by Sacha Baron Cohen in character as Borat prior to her death, sued Amazon and Oak Springs Productions and said that she was interviewed under false pretenses and appeared in the film without her permission, despite that Baron Cohen broke character and revealed his identity during the filming.
“The lawsuit was dismissed, unconditionally. The lawsuit is over,” Russell Smith, defense counsel for Amazon and whom also represents Baron Cohen, told TheWrap in a statement. “Sacha Baron Cohen was deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with Judith Dim Evans, whose compassion and courage as a Holocaust survivor has touched the hearts of millions of people who have seen the film. Judith’s life is a powerful rebuke to those who deny the Holocaust, and with this film and his activism, Sacha Baron Cohen will continue his advocacy to combat Holocaust denial around the world.”
The plaintiff’s counsel voluntarily dismissed the case but will have the right to refile in a different county if they choose to. The attorney for the plaintiff did not immediately respond to TheWrap for a request for comment.
The lawsuit describes Evans as a well-known speaker, university professor and authority on the Holocaust and Jewish culture, as well as a Holocaust survivor. The lawsuit says she was not informed the movie was a comedy or a “Borat” sequel when she agreed to give the interview.
However, Baron Cohen took the rare step of revealing his true identity to Evans and informed her of the nature of the joke, which was not to mock the Jewish culture or her status as a Holocaust survivor but to do the opposite, TheWrap has learned.
Additionally, an individual with knowledge of the film told TheWrap there’s footage that exists of this moment and that “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm” is dedicated to the late Evans.
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” was released by Amazon on Friday.
Deadline first reported the news.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.