Actress in Controvesial Movie Sues Producer and YouTube

As Islamic countries continue to protest, some violently, over the 14-minute anti-Islam movie trailer others are suing. The video was online a while ago but only recently went viral in Islamic countries when the trailer was dubbed in Arabic. Others in the movie are speaking out.

Some featured in the movie called "Innocence of Muslims " are suing for damages and fraud. The movie portrays the Prophet Mohammed as a womanizing. homosexual child abuser. One actress, Cindy Lee Garcia, is claiming she is a victim of fraud and is suing the producer of the shoddy film and YouTube. Cindy is alledging they breached her invasion of privacy and misappropriation of her likeness.

The producer, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, is also being investigated by the federal government on possible probation violations. The Feds say they are not out to impede his First Amendment Right to freedom of speech.

He was apparently banned from the Internet by a judge in 2010. Officials have said their probe only relates to whether he violated his probation order and is not related to the movie's content. Officials say, "This is not an investigation of the film. Or in any way intended to infringe on his 'First Amendment Rights'." The 55 year old Egyptian producer of the low budget film lives in Los Angeles, California and is being blamed for the riots and protests in the Middle East. He is on probation for committing financial crimes and was twice jailed on drug charges in the 1990's.  He is banned for using, "any online service at any loaction", without prior approval.

The woman suing the producer also claims YouTube and ultimately Google caused her damages in her 17 page  complaint. That complaint was filed with the courts September 19, 2012. She alledges the producer and YouTube are responsible for causing her irreparable harm by refusing to take the video off YouTube. The video has been online for months and only recently went viral in Muslim countries. Her lawyer claims, "The lawsuit is not an attack on the First Amendment or right of Americans to say what they think."

Although she still demands the content be pulled off the Internet because, "Ms. Garcia in no way consented to the use of her performance, image or likeness in such an offensive film." She claims she spoke with the producer before what has been coined by the mass media as 'Muslim Rage' began. She said, "He said he wrote the script because he wants the Muslims to quit killing. I had no idea he was doing all this."

She also claims she was unaware her voice was dubbed over. The lawsuit alledges alterations to the dialouge she read filming the movie. She accuses the producer of literally putting words in her mouth. She also claims he represented the movie as an 'adventure film' and that her role was as a concerned mother. A role which ended up being false according to her. Her lawyer adds, "Defendant [in reality] made an anti-Islam propaganda film, in which plaintiff is falsely made to appear to accuse the founder of the Islamic religion of being a sexual deviant and child molester."

Yesterday 79 cast and crew members released a statement saying they were, "extremely upset and feel taken advantage of by the producer." They added they were "shocked by the drastic rewrites of the script and lies were told to all involved. We are deeply saddened by the tragedies that have occurred."

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages against Nakoula for invasion of privacy, fraud, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Claiming that Ms. Garcia lost her job, privacy and has suffered  extreme distress" due to the film she agreed to appear in. According to the lawsuit YouTube privately informed Ms. Garcia that it will not voluntarily remove the content of the video.

Her lawyer says she will seek an emergency restraining order against Nakoula and YouTube, asking the content be removed permanently. She also claims her client has received death threats and is unable to visit her grandchildren in fear they may be harmed.