TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa Federal Judge has denied a request by Big Cat Rescue owner Carole Baskin to prevent Netflix from releasing Tiger King 2.
Baskin, who criticized the first documentary released last year as portraying her wildlife sanctuary in a negative light and questioned whether she was involved in the disappearance of her former husband Don Lewis, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court Monday asking for an injunction to prevent the release of the sequel.
Baskin argued that the producer of the series, Royal Goode Productions, used her image in the trailer for the series.
The complaint alleges that in Baskin’s contract with the production company covered interviews and the use of her image and likeness in “a documentary motion picture” and should be excluded for use in the sequel.
In her ruling, United States District Court Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington wrote, “Although the Baskins signed a release when they were filmed for the original Tiger King documentary, they did not sign a release for or otherwise participate in the filming of Tiger King 2. Thus, in essence, they are seeking to prevent footage that was taken of them during the filming of Tiger King from being used in Tiger King 2 or its promotional materials.”
In her ruling, the judge said:
“Because the Court is not persuaded that the Baskins will suffer irreparable injury unless a temporary order is issued or that the public interest favors entry of a temporary restraining order, the Court need not address the likelihood of success on the merits or the balance of hardships. Importantly, the Court merely finds that the Baskins are not entitled to the extraordinary remedy of a temporary restraining order, which would be entered before Defendants have had an adequate opportunity to respond.”
The judge did not take a position on the merits of the arguments in the Baskins lawsuit.
Tiger King 2 is set to debut on Netflix on November 17.
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