The comedian alluded in the show that Roy Moore was a sexual offender. Former U.S. Senate candidate for Alabama Roy Moore is suing Sacha Baron Cohen, CBS and Showtime for $95 million, claiming the group defamed him when he appeared on the political satire series "Who Is America?" Moore appeared the third episode in the series that debuted on July 15, which aired on Showtime. In the show, Cohen assumes different alter egos to interview political figures -- in Moore's case, acting as Gen. Erran Morad, an "anti-terror expert" and former agent of Israeli's intelligence agency, Mossad. The show begins as Cohen, in full transformative makeup, discusses the importance of technology in the military. "Modern technology is at the forefront of the fight against the war," he says in a fake Israeli accent. "One time, I killed a suicide bomber with an iPad 4." Once Cohen sits down with Moore, he begins to tell the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama about a new technology that Israel has developed to "identify other abnormalities." Cohen tells Moore that "sex offenders, and particularly, pedophiles, secrete an enzyme" that is about "three times the level of non-perverts," adding that authorities in Israel have developed a "machine" that is now used in schools and playgrounds that detects the when the enzyme is present. "And if they detect a pedophile, the wand alerts the law enforcement and schools within a 100-mile radius." Cohen then pulls out a wand that resembles the handheld metal detectors often used by security guards, scanning himself before scanning Moore, which then appears to cause the device to beep. Cohen feigns confusion as the machine beeps for a second and third time after nearing Moore, asking him if he had happened to lend his jacket to someone else. "Maybe," Moore responds. "I've been married for 33 [years] and never had an accusation for such things." Cohen tells Moore that he's not accusing him "at all," prompting Moore to say, "Certainly, I'm not a pedophile, OK?" Moore then says, "Maybe Israeli technology hasn't been developed properly," shaking Cohen's hand and ending the interview. The video has been viewed on YouTube more than 3.8 million times since it was published on July 29. According to the lawsuit, Cohen, "while in character, falsely and fraudulently induces unsuspecting victims, such as Judge Moore to be interviewed under dishonest, unethical, illegal and false pretenses." In addition, the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraud by the defendant and that Cohen sets the "unsuspecting victims up for ridicule" to promote his work and "to generate large financial returns for himself." Moore's wife, Kayla Moore, is also listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Cohen "fraudulently" convinced Moore and his wife to travel to Washington, D.C., to film the show on Feb. 14 by telling them that Moore was to receive an award for "his strong support of Israel in commemoration of its 70th anniversary as a nation state," the court documents state. Cohen also told the couple that the piece would appear on "Yerushalayim TV," a network that doesn't exist, according to the lawsuit. Moore would not have agreed to the interview had he known Cohen's true identity and that it was a set-up, the complaint states. After Moore discovered the truth, his attorney sent warnings to Cohen, Showtime and CBS that he would "resort to appropriate legal remedies if they chose to air the segment," according to the complaint. The lawsuit contends that Cohen "falsely painted, portrayed, mocked and with malice defamed Judge Moore as a sex offender, which he is not." The couple filed the lawsuit because "they have been directly affected by the unlawful conduct" stated in the complaint, according to the court documents. Moore has been the subject of "widespread ridicule and humiliation and has suffered severe loss of reputation" as a result of the show, according to the court documents. Moore is suing for damages of $95 million and has asked for as a jury trial. Showtime has not been served with the complaint, a spokesperson told ABC News, declining to comment further on the pending litigation. Representatives for Cohen and CBS did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. CBS is the parent company of Showtime. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin also appeared on the show, slamming the prank in which Cohen appeared as a disabled U.S. veteran in a wheelchair as "evil" and "sick." Moore ran for the U.S. Senate as a Republican in 2017, despite sexual misconduct allegations by at least eight women, some of whom claim they were in their teens -- and Moore in his 30s -- when the misconduct occurred. Moore denied the allegations throughout the race. Moore's Democrat opponent, Doug Jones, won the election and was sworn in as senator in January.<doc-sep>Former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore filed a $95 million lawsuit against Sacha Baron Cohen and Showtime on Wednesday, alleging that he was duped into appearing on “Who Is America?” Moore alleges that he was lured to Washington, D.C., on the pretense of accepting an award for his support for Israel. Instead, he found himself being interviewed by “Col. Erran Morad,” a Cohen character. During the taping, Cohen waved a “pedophile detector” at Moore, which beeped, at which point Moore ended the interview. “This false and fraudulent portrayal and mocking of Judge Moore as a sex offender, on national and international television, which was widely broadcast in this district on national television and worldwide, has severely harmed Judge Moore’s reputation and caused him, Mrs. Moore, and his entire family severe emotional distress, as well as caused and will cause Plaintiffs financial damage,” the lawsuit states. As is generally the case with Cohen’s victims, Moore signed a release before the taping took place. The suit alleges that the release was obtained on fraudulent grounds. Moore is suing Showtime, CBS, and Cohen for fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and defamation. He is represented by Larry Klayman, the founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch. Showtime issued the following statement: “The press has been sent copies of an alleged complaint, yet to our knowledge SHOWTIME has not been served. With that said, we do not comment on pending litigation.”<doc-sep>The Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Failed U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore is suing comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for defamation after being pranked on the actor's television show. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Washington, D.C., accuses Cohen of smearing Moore's name and intentionally inflicting emotional distress. Moore was fooled into appearing on a "Who Is America?" segment where Cohen demonstrated a supposed pedophile detecting device that beeped when it was placed near Moore. Moore lost the Senate race last December to Democrat Doug Jones in GOP-friendly Alabama largely because of accusations leveled at Moore from multiple women who allege Moore pursued sexual or romantic relationships with them when they were teenagers and he was a prosecutor in his 30s. He has denied the allegations. During the "Who is America?" segment, Cohen, dressed as anti-terror expert Erran Morad, introduced a piece of "technology" to Moore, which he said would help detect sex offenders. As Cohen explained it: "It turns out that sex offenders and particularly pedophiles secrete an enzyme for DDHT, which is actually detectable. It is three times the level of nonperverts, so the phrase 'sweating like a rapist' is actually based on science." More: Sacha Baron Cohen tells O.J. Simpson they're 'lady killers' on 'Who Is America?' finale Cohen took out the gadget and ran it over himself. When he demonstrated it on Moore, it began to beep. "It's malfunctioning," Cohen said, before trying the wand out on another person onset. When it didn't beep, he returned his attention to Moore. "Is this your jacket?" Cohen asked. "Did you lend the jacket to somebody else, maybe?" "No," Moore responded. "I've been married for 33 (years) and never had an accusation of such things." Moore dismissed the gadget and declared, "certainly I'm not a pedophile." He then cut off the interview, saying, "It's been nice. I support Israel. I don't support this kind of stuff," before walking out. More: Roy Moore walks out after Sacha Baron Cohen's fake pedophile-detecting gadget goes off Larry Klayman, founder of the conservative group Freedom Watch, represents Moore. Klayman said Cohen and the TV network should be "held accountable for his outrageous and false, fraudulent and defamatory conduct." He is suing Cohen, Showtime and CBS Corp. for $95 million plus attorney fees, according to the lawsuit obtained by Variety. Moore thought he was receiving an award for supporting Israel when he appeared on the show. Contributing: Erin Jensen More: Sarah Palin slams Showtime's statement on Sacha Baron Cohen: 'They continue to deceive' More: Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Who Is America?' shows GOP lawmaker making racist slurs, prompts resignation<doc-sep>
The failed US Senate candidate Roy Moore has sued the comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for defamation and emotional distress after being pranked on the actor’s television show. The lawsuit asks for $95m in punitive and compensatory damages and appears to be the first filed by one of the string of politicians who were duped and humiliated by Baron Cohen on the show Who is America. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in federal court in Washington DC, accuses Baron Cohen of defaming Moore and says Moore "suffered extreme emotional distress" as a result of "being falsely portrayed as a sex offender and paedophile" on the show. Moore was duped into appearing on a segment where Baron Cohen demonstrated a supposed paedophile detecting device that beeped when it came near Moore. During last year’s Senate race Moore faced accusations he pursued romantic and sexual relationships with children as young as 14 when he was a prosecutor in his 30s. He has denied the misconduct allegations. Larry Klayman, founder of the conservative group Freedom Watch, is representing Moore and his wife Kayla in the lawsuit. The complaint also names CBS and Showtime as defendants in the case. Klayman said in a statement: “Sacha Baron Cohen, who is not only low class but also a fraudster, will now, along with Showtime and CBS, be held accountable for his outrageous and false, fraudulent and defamatory conduct which callously did great emotional and other damage to this great man and his wife and family.” Representatives of Baron Cohen did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the lawsuit. A Showtime representative wrote in an email that the company did not comment on pending litigation, and to their knowledge it had not been served with the complaint. Klayman said Moore thought he was receiving an award for supporting Israel when he agreed to appear on the show. In the segment Baron Cohen appeared as the bushy-eyebrowed faux counter-terrorism instructor “Colonel Erran Morad” discussing bogus military technology, including a supposed paedophile detector. The device repeatedly beeped as it got near Moore, who sat stone-faced. Baron Cohen’s latest show, which began airing in July, has drawn in several other political figures. In one episode the former Arizona sheriff and Senate candidate Joe Arpaio argued the benefits of gun ownership to a tiny toy doughnut. Another episode led a Georgia state representative to resign after he shouted racial slurs and exposed his rear end in a supposed anti-terrorism self-defence drill.