Judge tosses out gay man's defamation lawsuit against Bristol Palin
UPI News Service, 11/04/2012
A judge tossed out a defamation suit filed by a Los Angeles man against Bristol Palin after a confrontation between the two on her reality television show.
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Stephen Hawks filed a suit against Palin and A&E, the parent company of Lifetime, where Palin's reality television show, "Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp," was broadcast, TMZ reported.
An episode featured Hanks telling Palin her mother, Sarah, was "evil" and a "whore" in a Hollywood bar. Palin responded, saying the man way gay.
Hanks sued, first saying he never signed a waiver to appear on the show, second, the show invaded his privacy by revealing he is gay and third, his reputation was hurt when Palin said his comments caused her to move from Los Angeles back to Alaska.
The judge dropped the suit, saying the show was protected by the First Amendment and that Hanks' privacy was not violated because his status as a gay man was public information on his social media accounts.
The judge ordered Hanks to pay for Palin's attorney fees, TMZ reported.
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