An actress who starred in the anti-Islam film that has allegedly sparked the recent wave of bloody protest throughout the Middle East and North Africa is suing the film’s producer and You Tube, claiming she had been duped into appearing in the "hateful anti-Islamic production” and has since received numerous death threats.
In a complaint alleging fraud, slander and intentional infliction of emotional distress, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Cindy Lee Garcia accused Nakoula Basseley Nakoula of duping her into believing that the film was an adventure movie.
She claims she has received death threats since the video was posted to YouTube, and says her association with the film has harmed her reputation. She further claims that she is lo longer permitted to see her grandchildren, whom she regularly babysat, due to the danger her visits may pose.
According to Garcia, the script she received had made no mention of the Prophet Muhammad or religion.
"[Garcia] had a legally protected interest in her privacy and the right to be free from having hateful words put in her mouth or being depicted as a bigot," the lawsuit says.
"There was no mention of 'Mohammed' during filming or on set. There were no references made to religion nor was there any sexual content of which Ms Garcia was aware," it adds.
The complaint goes on to state that Garcia “was fired from her job as a direct result of the film, in as much as she is now considered a target and the safety of those in her presence cannot be guaranteed.”
Garcia’s lawyer said that she “wants to clear her name, get the content taken down and let the world know that she did not consent to have her image used in this way.”
Thus far, YouTube has refused Garcia's requests to remove the film, according to the lawsuit, although it has blocked it in Saudi Arabia, Libya and Egypt.
"This lawsuit is not an attack on the First Amendment nor on the right of Americans to say what they think, but does request that the offending content be removed from the Internet," the complaint states.
A spokesman for YouTube said they were reviewing the complaint and would be in court on Thursday.