“The six straight men who sued to prevent the broadcast of an UK reality show in which, unbeknownst to them, they competed for the affection of a preoperative Mexican transsexual quickly got over their claims of injury and public humiliation in return for a cash payment, clearing the way for the program to debut on UK television”. (see Oct. 31, Nov. 5). Various reports pegged the undisclosed settlement “at anywhere between $150,000 and $250,000 a man”. (Steve Rogers, “Lawsuit settled, ‘Crying Game’-like ‘There’s Something About Miriam’ premieres in UK”, RealityTVWorld, Feb. 23; Debi Enker, “Reality reaches new low”, Melbourne Age, May 20) (via Curmudgeonly Clerk, May 20).
Posts Tagged ‘broadcasters’
Update: “Woman drops lawsuit over Jackson peep show”
Just in case anyone missed this while we were away: only a few days after filing her class-action lawsuit (Feb. 5, Feb. 8) demanding billions from MTV and other defendants over Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl stunt, Terri Carlin of Knoxville, Tenn. “believes she’s made her point” and is withdrawing the suit. (AP/CNN, Feb. 10; see Blog 702). The attorney who represented Carlin in the action, Wayne A. Ritchie II, would appear to be (per his website) a figure of some dignity in the Knoxville legal community: a former state legislator, he “has served on the Board of Governors of the Knoxville Bar Association and on the Board of Governors and Executive Committee of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association.” (See also May 28.)
Super Bowl Kerfuffle
By popular demand: “Terri Carlin wants to make Janet Jackson’s bare breast into a federal case.” (“Tenn. Woman Files Suit Over Super Bowl”, AP, Feb. 5; Randy Kenner, “State of undress causes distress”, Knoxville News-Sentinel, Feb. 5; complaint). See updates Feb. 8, Feb. 14 (case withdrawn); May 28 (another case loses).
“OK, so I won’t sue cable firm”
Updating Wisconsin’s tempest in a cable box (see Jan. 7): “A man who blamed a cable TV company for his television addiction and his wife’s 50-pound weight gain said Thursday he won’t follow through with a threat to sue the cable operator. In an unusual news conference held in the basement of his West Bend home,” Timothy Dumouchel insisted that cable TV provider Charter was to blame for his family’s addiction to its televised fare, because it had failed to cut off service as requested, but said most of his dealings with the company had been pleasant and that he would not pursue legal action. Dumouchel also “said he never claimed his three children — ages 30, 23 and 16 — were lazy. He also said he knows people are snickering about him, and that his wife was angry about his statements on her weight gain.” (Lauria Lynch-German, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan. 9; “Man won?t sue over TV addiction”, AP/Appleton Post-Crescent, Jan. 9).
By reader acclaim: Addicted by cable TV
Parody, or just the next logical step? Timothy Dumouchel of West Bend, Wis. says he plans to sue cable TV provider Charter “because his cable connection remained intact four years after he tried to get it canceled. The result was that he and his family got free cable from August of 1999 to Dec. 23, 2003. ‘I believe that the reason I smoke and drink every day and my wife is overweight is because we watched TV every day for the last four years,’ Dumouchel stated in a written complaint against the company, included in a Fond du Lac police report.” (Lee Reinsch, “Man says he’s addicted to cable; wants to sue Charter”, Fond du Lac Reporter, Jan. 7) Update Jan. 13: he says he won’t sue.
Whoops
That story about Fox threatening to sue itself, picked up by much of the media and featured in our Oct. 31 item, turns out to have been, um, embellished at a minimum by “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, and the show’s producers have issued an apology (Washington Post, Oct. 31)
Fox v. Fox
Quoth Ernie the Attorney (Oct. 31): “Fox News will sue anyone at the drop of a hat, but it does have some standards. For example, Fox won’t sue itself. But that doesn’t mean it won’t threaten to sue itself.” (See “Fox nearly sued itself over ‘Simpsons’ parody: Matt Groening”, AFP/Yahoo, Oct. 30). Whoops! Original story turns out to have been, um, embellished at a minimum by “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, and the show’s producers have issued an apology (Washington Post, Oct. 31)
Not the date they expected
Latest tabloid/reality TV case apparently headed for court, this time from the U.K.: “Six men who competed for the affection of an attractive brunette called Miriam for a reality television program have threatened legal action after discovering that the object of their attention was a transsexual.” The male contestants, who are said to have signed release forms before the show’s filming, “were invited to pick the most attractive woman from a line-up. They were then filmed on dates with her. All of them chose Miriam, who, unknown to them, was born a man.” To make matters worse, some of the men “are believed to have been intimate with Miriam before discovering at the end of the show that she was a pre-operative transsexual. … Lawyers for the six men have written to Sky and Brighter Pictures accusing them of conspiracy to commit a sexual assault, defamation, breach of contract and personal injury.” (Catriona Davies, “TV suitors shocked as dream girl turns out to be a man”, Daily Telegraph, Oct. 31). Update Nov. 5: more links via Curmudgeonly Clerk and May 26: cases settled.
$2-million hug
“Contestant Will Wright had just won $48,400, and the Wheel of Fortune audience was cheering with abandon in a District of Columbia auditorium where the show was being taped. Suddenly, Wright says, host Pat Sajak leapt at his body and wrapped his arms and legs around him. … This week, the 38-year-old puzzle-guessing champion from Lorton, Va., filed a $2 million lawsuit against the show’s producers over the back injuries he says he suffered from Sajak’s moment of unbridled enthusiasm.” (Carol D. Leonnig, “‘Wheel’ contestant suing over injury”, Washington Post/Arizona Republic, Oct. 18) (via SoCalLawBlog)
Trash
(Registration Required): Citizens of Riverside are considering suing because the OC called them “White Trash” but Eugene Volokh thinks that they have no chance.