Judge rejects bid to block Borat DVD, delete scenes

A U.S. Superior Court judge has rejected a request by two fraternity brothers to stop the DVD release of the hit movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

In his two-page decision revealed Monday, West Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph S. Biderman also rejected the request to remove from the film a scene that shows the two South Carolina college students drinking and watching a sex tape with British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and making offensive remarks.

The two men filed the lawsuit against the producers of the film and its distributor, 20th Century Fox, in early November.

The menclaimed they had been duped by the film's producers into making the remarks to Cohen, who portrays Borat, a boorish Kazakh television personality touring the U.S. The two said that being depicted in the film has cost them a job and an internship, as well as caused them to suffer humiliation and become objects of ridicule.

Athird fraternity brother was also depicted in the scene, but did not participate in the lawsuit.

The Borat film, which is based on the character from Cohen's television series Da Ali G Show, has topped $120 million US at the North American box office since its release in November.

Cohen's depiction ofthe Borat characterhas previously raised the ire of the Kazakh government and officials, as well as U.S. citizens he encountered during the filming of the television show.

Followingthe release of the movie, Cohen has been targeted for criticism and legal action.Acomplaint was also brought by the owner of an etiquette business who arranged a dinner party in the film, while two Romanians have filed a lawsuit claiming they and several fellow villagers who appeared as Kazakh citizens were exploited by Fox and the movie's producers.