Judge tosses businessman’s suit against ‘Borat’

Cohen’s character chased man down Fifth Avenue, trying to hug him

	It’s happy time for Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Borat.” A judge has tossed out the defamation lawsuit filed by a businessman against the film. In the film, Borat chases the man, trying to give him a hug.
Kevin Winter / Getty Images file

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updated 2:01 p.m. ET April 2, 2008

NEW YORK - A judge has tossed out a defamation lawsuit brought by a businessman shown in the movie “Borat” as he is chased down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.

Federal Judge Loretta Preska says the term “newsworthy” — defined in its most liberal and far reaching terms — can be applied to the 2006 hit movie.

The lawsuit had sought unspecified damages for Jeffrey Lemerond, a Dartmouth College graduate and financial analyst.

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Messages for comment left with lawyers on both sides were not immediately returned Wednesday.

In the movie, Lemerond is shown running and yelling “Go away!” as Cohen’s character, a phony Kazakhstan journalist, chases him in an attempt to hug strangers.

The judge concedes that the movie employs a brand of humor that appeals to the most childish and vulgar in its viewers. But she says it also attempts an ironic commentary.