The First of Many Future Bruno Lawsuits Filed
Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat produced a number of lawsuits filed by people who were duped by Cohen and humiliated on a broad scale. Now Bruno hasn't even been released on theaters yet and he's already being sued.
Richelle Olson claims that an incident at a Palmdale, California bingo tournament two years ago left her disabled in a wheelchair. She is seeking unspecified damages of at least $25,000.
Olson's lawsuit contends Cohen has 30 sham companies that help him pull off his ruses and that is how the comedian and his camera crew gained entry into the Desert Valley Charities' bingo tournament in May 2007.
Cohen was invited to the event because his handlers identified him as a "celebrity" who was filming a documentary on bingo, the suit states. The event was to raise money for nursing students.
According to the lawsuit, Cohen - in character as Bruno - started using vulgarities while calling the second bingo game in front of a mostly elderly audience.
A struggle ensued after Olson tried to grab the microphone away from Cohen. She claims he then called his camera crew over, who attacked her for at least a minute, hoping to "create a dramatic emotional response."
Olson's suit states she ran from the stage and was found moments later by a co-worker, sobbing uncontrollably. She then fell to the floor, hitting her head on a concrete slab.
The suit states she suffered brain bleeding as a result.
We would hope that if this lady genuinely suffered brain bleeding that left her in a wheelchair that she's a asking for much more than $25,000 in damages, but why she waited two years to file the suit is anyone's guess—-Some would say probably because it's all a bunch of BS.