Woman in Cohen case suffered 'life-changing' injuries
The elderly woman suing funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen for assault over a stunt for upcoming controversial comedy ‘Bruno’ has suffered "life-altering" injuries as a result of his prank, according to her lawyer.
Richelle Olson filed suit against Cohen and movie studio bosses at NBC Universal in relation to an altercation at a bingo hall in Palmdale, California in 2007.
She claimed Cohen, who appeared in character as his outrageous gay Austrian alter-ego Bruno, used "vulgar and offensive language" when he took the stage to call the numbers during the charity bingo game, and when she tried to snatch the microphone from him she alleges a "physical struggle ensued".
The legal papers allege Cohen "offensively touched, pushed and battered" Olson, causing her to fall to the ground.
She goes on to accuse several camera operators, who were filming the event, of rushing on to the stage where "defendants attacked (her) for a period of one to five minutes to intentionally create a dramatic emotional response... while (they) recorded her humiliation and embarrassment."
Olson allegedly suffered bleeding on the brain and struggles to walk since the clash.
And her lawyer Kyle Madison insists Olson's legal action is more justified than previous lawsuits filed against Cohen from people duped into appearing in his 2006 film Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan.
He said: "The actions of Mr. Cohen and those acting in concert with him have resulted in life-altering injuries to my client. My focus is her well-being and to secure a fair, just and equitable remedy for her claims.
"This claim is distinguishable from Mr. Cohen's previous lawsuits as a defendant."
