Former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama filed a $95 million lawsuit on Wednesday against comedian Sacha Baron CohenShowtime and its parent company CBS.

Moore is accusing Cohen and the two networks of defamation, fraud and “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” according to several reports. The 71-year-old former Alabama judge claims he was tricked into appearing on a segment of Cohen’s new Showtime comedy series Who Is America? 

In the clip, which aired on July 29, Cohen played a fictional Israeli anti-terrorism expert named Erran Morad, and interviewed Moore about his familiarity with a fake technology supposedly created to stop terror efforts in the Middle East. Cohen’s Morad claimed his device — which looked like an airport security scanning bar — was initially used to identify sexual “perverts,” and subsequently asked Moore to take the so-called “pedophile detector test.” After Cohen uses the device to scan himself, no sound is heard, although a beeping sound starts after he waves it over Moore, and the Borat star and creator feigns confusion.

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The judge appeared uncomfortable and quickly walked out of the fake interview after this and after telling Cohen he supported Israel. Moore — a Republican who lost a special Senate election in Alabama to Democrat Doug Jones in December — drew much controversy and scorn during his campaign following a series of allegations that he sexually harassed and assaulted several young women — many of whom were underage — decades prior. Moore denied the accusations and received support from many top GOP members including President Donald Trumpsomething Cohen showed in the segment involving the judge. Moore even sued four of his accusers for libel in April.

Moore is one of several prominent conservative politicians to criticize or sue Cohen after alleging they were duped into appearing on Who is America? Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh were among these people.

Moore’s wife Kayla is also named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit against Cohen and Showtime, although she did not appear in the Who Is America? segment.

Roy Moore lawsuit against comedian Sacha Baron Cohen by pgattis7719 on Scribd

Cohen, 46, has been sued for fraud, defamation or other similar reasons by dozens of people due to his interactions with people while playing highly raunchy characters like the ones portrayed in Borat, Bruno, and The Dictator. Many of these lawsuits have been either thrown out or settled.

 

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