Sacha Baron Cohen gets one over judge – wins $95m case over ‘paedophile detector’

Roy Moore was suing Sacha Baron Cohen for $95 million.

Sacha Baron Cohen has won his fight against a former judge and failed Senate candidate over a prank where the Borat actor waved him down with a 'paedophile dector'. Baron Cohen, on Thursday, defeated a $95 million (€93.4 million) defamation lawsuit brought by Roy Moore, who said he was tricked into a television appearance that lampooned sexual misconduct accusations against him. Moore appeared on the comedian's satirical TV show Who Is America? in 2018. The second US circuit court of appeals in Manhattan, upholding a lower court’s ruling in favour of Baron Cohen, said Moore signed a disclosure agreement that prohibited any legal claims over the appearance, The Guardian reported. The judges said the scene, where Baron Cohen demonstrated how the 'paedophile detector' worked and where it beeped when it got near Moore, was "clearly comedy". They found that no viewer would think the comedian was making factual allegations against Moore. Moore faced accusations of sexual misconduct when he stood as a Republican to represent Alabama in the US Senate in 2017. He has been accused of pursuing relationships with teens when he was in his 30s; allegations he denies. Moore said his appearance on Baron Cohen's show caused him and his wife, Kayla, emotional distress. Moore, a Republican known for his hardline stances opposing same-sex marriage and supporting the public display of the Ten Commandments, had been told he was receiving an award for supporting Israel. The couple claimed the waiver Moore signed was unenforceable because it was obtained under a false representation. Moore and his wife indicated they will appeal.