1 Year Later: Despaired Driving Instructor Sues Borat
By Jane Ivory
13:32, December 5th 2007
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1 Year Later: Despaired Driving Instructor Sues Borat

An American driving instructor says the makers of wacky comedy “Borat” starring Sacha Baron Cohen tricked him into thinking they were making a documentary and is now suing them for using his image to promote the film.

Another person has come forward claiming to have been tricked into appearing in 2006’s controversial ‘mockumentary’ “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” which chronicled the adventures of a fictional Kazakh journalist (portrayed by Cohen) who is visiting the United States of America.

Michael Psenicska, a Baltimore high school mathematics teacher who has also owned a driving school in Perry Hall, Md., for the last 32 years, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan Tuesday, claiming the movie’s makers lied to him that he would appear in a “documentary about the integration of foreign people into the American way of life.”

Psenicska asserts he would not have participated had he known the true nature of the film. He seeks $100,000 in compensatory damages and unspecified punitive damages.

The lawsuit says the defendants, including producer Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. and star Sacha Baron Cohen, used images of Psenicska extensively in advertising the film, which earned more than $260 million worldwide.

Psenicska went through quite a bit for the supposed documentary as he attempted to give his client a driving lesson. He is shown in the movie struggling to cope with the chaotic Borat, who busies himself drinking alcohol, yelling at people and driving the vehicle erratically.

20th Century Fox has responded to the lawsuit, saying Psenicska gave his consent to be filmed and was paid for his involvement. He was reportedly paid $500.

Twentieth Century Fox spokesman Gregg Brilliant said Psenicska consented to the filming.

“He signed a release, and we have an agreement,” Brilliant said, reports the Associated Press. “Now, 2 1/2 years after giving his consent and more than one year after the movie was released, Mr. Psenicska has decided to file a lawsuit, citing the financial success of the film, in spite of our agreement.”

Though late, Psenicska joins a variegated roster of people upset with the use of their image in “Borat,” including residents of a Romanian village who complained they were depicted unfairly; and two college fraternity members who likewise protested they were tricked into appearing in the comedy.



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