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Filmmaker Ava DuVernay and streaming service Netflix have won a defamation lawsuit over the award-winning limited series “When They See Us”, which was infused with themes of racism and injustice inflicted upon by the criminal system.
A federal judge ruled in favour of Netflix and director DuVernay on Monday, throwing out a defamation suit over the show about the Central Park jogger case, reports variety.com.
John E. Reid and Associates, a police training firm, filed the suit last year, alleging that the series had falsely portrayed the “Reid Technique” — widely used method for conducting interrogations.
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In his ruling, Judge Manish S. Shah found that the series’ depiction was protected under the First Amendment.
The four-part documentary series narrated the true story of five teens — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise, who were wrongfully convicted of raping a white woman in 1989. They were referred to as the Central Park Five or the Exonerated Five.
“You squeezed statements out of them after 42 hours of questioning and coercing, without food, bathroom breaks, withholding parental supervision,” the character said, adding: “The Reid Technique has been universally rejected.”
The police training firm alleged that the statement falsely characterized the technique, and incorrectly stated that the technique had been “universally rejected”.