A lawsuit aimed at Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm by the estate of Holocaust survivor Judith Dim Evans has been officially dismissed. The latest Sacha Baron Cohen entry in the Borat franchise has already had its share of controversies, with more likely on their way.

Over the years, Cohen’s antics have brought him more than his fair share of brushes with the law as well as legal systems around the world. The Borat star reportedly had the police called on him ninety-two times during the filming of the 2006 film, and in the months after the film’s release, numerous lawsuits were filed. For the most part, Cohen’s vast experience with what he can and can’t legally get away with while filming is well known, and cases against him do not typically prevail. Often this doesn’t stop opportunistic attempts at cash settlements on the part of disgruntled participants, however. With the recent release of Borat 2, a lawsuit has already been filed by Evans’ estate, which claims the elderly woman didn’t know that her involvement in the film would be a comedic take on the Holocaust and that she did not give her consent to appear in the popular sequel.

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As things currently stand, Deadline has reported that the lawsuit has officially been dismissed in Georgia courts. While Evans’ estate claimed that the scene in which she appeared was done to “mock the Holocaust and Jewish culture”, Russell Smith, who represented Amazon in the proceedings, said that the case has been dismissed, unconditionally. Evans passed away before Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm was released, and as a tribute to the Holocaust survivor, Cohen dedicated the film to her. Cohen reportedly had Evans told in advance that he was Jewish and that the scenes they would share would be used to educate viewers on the Holocaust and Holocaust denial. This didn’t stop the lawsuit from later taking place, but according to Smith:

“The lawsuit was dismissed, unconditionally. The lawsuit is over. 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.”

Borat 2 Movie Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat

While comedy that deals with the Holocaust is a particularly sensitive pursuit, Cohen’s own history of speaking out against Holocaust denial has been well documented in recent years. The film’s disputed scene involves Cohen’s notoriously anti-Semitic Borat character donning “a disguise” that he believes will make him look Jewish in order to enter a synagogue. On its own, it does sound horrifically anti-Semitic and offensive, but in the context of the film, Cohen takes the issue and flips it on its head to highlight the absurdity and immorality of anti-Semitism as well as Holocaust denial.

At this stage in Cohen’s career, filing a lawsuit against one of his films and hoping to win is an extremely unlikely prospect. Both Cohen and his legal team have unavoidably become quite adept at foreseeing any possible weak ground and covering themselves in advance. In this particular case, it only takes one viewing of Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm to see that neither the Holocaust nor Jewish culture is being mocked. Only ignorance is being mocked. As a result, Borat’s acceptance of his new Jewish friends surprisingly ends up being one of the film’s biggest emotional highlights.

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Source: Deadline

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