Roy Moore is suing Sacha Baron Cohen over his 'Who is America?' appearance, and might end up having to prove he's not a sex offender
- Former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore has sued Sacha Baron Cohen for defamation following his appearance on the actor's Showtime series, "Who is America?"
- Lawyers for the Republican judge and his wife claimed that Cohen "falsely painted, portrayed, mocked and with malice defamed Judge Moore as a sex offender, which he is not."
- According to legal analyst Renato Mariotti, Cohen could have the right to discovery on whether Moore is in fact a sex offender by using truth as a defense.
- Moore is suing for fraud, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore has sued Sacha Baron Cohen for defamation, claiming he was duped into participating in the actor's Showtime series "Who Is America?"
On the show, which duped a score of politicians and celebrities, Moore participated in a fake "pedophile detector" test.
In legal papers filed on Wednesday, lawyers for the Republican judge and his wife claimed that Cohen "falsely painted, portrayed, mocked and with malice defamed Judge Moore as a sex offender, which he is not."
According to CNN legal analyst Renato Mariotti, Moore could have to prove he isn't a sex offender if Cohen uses truth as a defense.
During his senate run last year, eight women accused Moore of sexual misconduct, including several who said they were teenagers at the time.
One woman said Moore groped her when she was 14 and he was 32. He lost December run-off election to Democrat Doug Jones.
The lawsuit alleges that Cohen's use of a disguise to lure Moore and his wife, Kayla, to Washington, DC, for the interview was fraudulent. Moore is suing for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Moore's lawyer claims the judge and his wife had "been the subject of widespread ridicule and humiliation" because of Cohen's actions, including "severe emotional distress and pain and financial damage."
Cohen had disguised himself as his recurring character of an Israeli "anti-terror expert" named Col. Erran Morad for the segment. His character told Moore that the Israeli military had used a metal-detector-like wand to detect pedophiles.
"If they detect a pedophile, the wand alerts the law enforcement and the schools within a 100-mile radius," Cohen said, taking out the wand. "It's very, very simple to use. You just switch it on, and because neither of us is a sex offender, then it makes absolutely nothing."
In the segment, Cohen tests the want on himself, another man in the room, and Moore. The wand beeps when it waves over Moore.
"I've been married for 33 years and never had an accusation of such things," Moore said. "If this is an instrument - and certainly I'm not a pedophile, OK? I don't know, maybe Israeli technology hasn't developed properly."
Moore threatened to sue Cohen in a statement released before the show's premiere.