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Bristol Palin is being sued again by talent manager Stephen Hanks because of her reality TV show. Sarah Palin’s daughter is the star of the floundering series Bristol Palin: Life’s A Tripp on Lifetime. Hanks filed a new lawsuit for defamation and invasion of privacy on June 28th. (He’d filed earlier this month seeking $75,000 against Palin and Lifetime.) Now Hanks says “plaintiff has learned of additional defendants”. Now being sued are Palin, Lifetime’s parent company A&E Television Network, production company Associated Television International, and Life’s A Tripp exec producer David McKenzie. In a 15-page civil complaint (read it here), Hanks is seeking unnamed compensatory damages, emotional distress damages, and punitive damages.
Palin’s show is getting more attention in the courts than it is from viewers. Life’s A Tripp proved a flop when it debuted on June 19th and has since been moved off A&E subsidiary Lifetime’s primetime schedule. There is still another lawsuit pending: Christopher and Kyle Masse are suing ATI and McKenzie alleging that the producers cut them out of the Bristol reality show on Lifetime. Unlike Hanks’ suit, Palin herself is not named in the Massey action. Hanks initially garnered attention for heckling Bristol over her mother’s politics. She in turn called him a “homosexual” in a heated encounter in a West Hollywood bar on September 22, 2011. Hanks later claimed he was filmed without permission. Hanks in his latest lawsuit says that because of Palin’s actions, which are described in the suit as “deliberate, malicious and despicable”, he has “suffered harm to his profession and occupation and expended money as a result of the statements”. Represented by LA’s Gulden & Associates, Hanks is seeking a 7- to 10-day jury trial here. A&E and ATI had no comment on Hanks lawsuit today.
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Sad for Hanks that he made such a spectacle of himself once. Now this lawsuit will add to the mess.
Hanks,47, made a total ass of himself, viciously attacking a 20 year old young woman because he dislikes her mothers politics. What a fool!His attack was ugly and rude and should affect his lack of being a professional talent agent….who would want this guy representing them? It’s time that he finds himself another profession. I applaud Bristol for fearlessly standing up for herself and mother!!
Let me know where I can contribute to Hank’s Legal Fund and I’m there.
just send it to me, for all the good it’ll do. are you sending thousands? you’re an idiot.
Good luck Stephen I’m rooting for you!
Can they make it a class action suit, to include all the people who suffered through watching her show?
Under the law, three people does not constitute a “Class.”
That’s hilarious!
Bristol Palin has more class than that idiot butt pirate that was heckling her.
Seriously? Using defamatory remarks about a homosexual is classy as well. Such a fool…
A class action?
Where do you think we’ll be able to find ONE person willing stand up in court and admit to being stupid enough to have watched this show?
Other than the brain-deads at A&E who were behind it. But that’s more like an occupational hazard.
He’s a jerk he insulted her he yelled at her he was the one who was malicious and despicable. She should sue him for being such a flaming asshole. He was obnoxious and he loved being on camera he thought he was a big man amongst his friends for yelling at her. He said he hated her mother and hopes she dies. He used his First Amendment free speech now he wants to be paid for that speech.
yes,yes&YEESSSSSSSSSSS!
So you can heckle someone and then sue them if they dare respond? Interesting.
So much for being responsible for your own actions. Is Stephen Hanks going to throw himself in front of a car and then sue the driver when he gets run over too?
There is audio where he leans over to his BF and says watch this, I am going to sue this bitch and win. Then says to the BF, he knew what he was doing, and attacking her was going to make them rich.
His claim is null and actually fraudulent. I hope the DA when hearing this video throws Stephen Hanks in jail.. He called Palin a whore, he will learn first hand what that is all about.
That’s not really the best example. Because what you just mentioned would be fraud.
Since this happened inside of a private establishment and not out in the open and since they didn’t blur out his face or give him the choice the horses arse is entitled to sue.
I can’t stand Bristol and can’t wait until her dumb show is cancelled, but Hanks is a complete d-bag. Let’s not forget that he called Bristol’s mother a “whore” in front of cameras. Whatever you think of Sarah, and I don’t like her, but the guy shouldn’t have said that to her daughter in a public place. What a loser.
Finally someone on here who does not care for the Palins, who, instead of attempting to redefine crass, exhibit a bit of class.
Stephen Hanks is trying to make a buck. What a loser. This bogus suit is doing more to damage his “reputation” than anything from the show.
Mr. Hanks, you have just redefined “despicable.”
Go Hanks! Heckle or not, you should have the right to keep your own business from other people airing it illegally no matter what the case. Hope they pay him out big time so networks stop just doing whatever they want without regard to the law.
Good guy, he gave up any privacy protections we have when he decided to open up his pie hole and say those derogatory comments on camera. He knew that the film was airing and decided to exhibit his free speech. Her reply was also free speech. The only legitimate suit should be the one for his classless, slanderous comments.
What the two of you or anyone else thinks of Mr Hanks’ actions is irrelevant – the point is that they used the footage without his consent for profit. He never signed a release. You can’t just tape people (without posting signs saying you are taping and your presence in the vicinity constitutes their consent – they didn’t do that) and then use the footage for your own financial gain without paying them for their participation OR have them sign a release saying they consent to the use of their likeness etc. That was not done in this case. I’m not defending his actions, and BTW Mr Hanks did issue a public apology for his actions – but in this instance? I’d say Mr Hanks has a very good case here.
Actually, that isn’t strictly true. There are explicit exceptions for “newsworthy” and “public space” use, not to mention conscious acknowledgement.
Hanks went out of his way, elbowing cameras and initiated a public confrontation in a public space with someone he actually pursued in an argument he initiated. That makes it newsworthy, public space use and conscious acknowledgement. It also makes him a jerk.
And also, Palin did not accuse him of being a homosexual. She asked if he was gay (however heated the exchange) and that was why he didn’t like her mom. It was not an accusation nor a slur.
No, I don’t like Palin. But then I am not going to attack her and then claim I am a victim. Hanks has shown himself to be less than a good person.
Boooo!! Where can I send money for the Bristol Palin defense fund? Maybe he should have signed a waiver, but he’s claiming that he’s losing $ due to HER SHOW AND A&E. He’s a talent producer er, scout??? My guess is he’s losing $ due to his own stupidity and immaturity. Sheesh!
Without his consent? That’s a laugh; the guy wants the publicity and what better way than to sue Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol. If this had been a regular Joe, no way would he of sued.
The Palin’s lawyers are going to rip this guy apart.
The guy may be an embarrassment to his profession, but he should’ve been able to do it privately – especially with no signed release. That is Reality TV 101.
If you do not want to be ‘distressed’ don’t act like a jerk. The sort of things he shouted out about Bristol and her mother were nasty and i was glad to see her stick up for herself and her mom. When she asked him, ‘Are you a homosexual?’ it was not in a nasty way, just asking if that was the reason he did not like her mother. After all of the heat that Rush Limbaugh took for what he called Sandra Fluke you would think someone would step up and apply the same principle to name calling here.
As for the show – i actually enjoyed it but cannot stay up for an 11 pm show. I was not crazy about the first episode in LA but life in Alaska is so unique – shows like that and Alaska State Troopers, etc, etc, are fascinating to me. And theres a lot worse and more boring on cable.
i think he will win the lawsuit. Also the production was naive to think that a heckler would not turn litigious, they’ve brought it on themselves.
Highly irresponsible of the production company and producers to not release the bar patrons before walking in to film. That’s reality Tv 101. Especially if your talent is a controversial figure. And I cant believe that the production company post team would let that DVD ship to Lifetime for air without making sure that release was in hand. Lifetime legal should have vetted the episode as well. If there was no release for him then all those parties will have to pay up. My guess is the dude signed a release but is still suing which means he will lose. Those releases are absurd these days, with clear cut language discussing lifetime owning what you say or do on camera. There are crazy lines that state producers can edit your language or words to however they see fit and you agree not to sue. He probably signed it after the screaming match in the heat of the moment and didnt read the release. But Lifetime better have that release.
Hanks & Bristol deserve each other
Bristol,
Welcome to Hollywood. May you never come back.
I loathe the girl and her mother (and their ilk) but having seen the clip Hanks came off as moronic as she. If you make a statement like “you’re mother’s a whore”, just make sure you can back it up. She’s not a whore, she’s an idiot… like you.
Face it, you couldn’t stand up to the intellectual dynamo that is Bristol Palin and suing her for your embarrassment is lame. Let it go, dude.
When Godzilla and King Kong fight, who you root for says more about YOU than it does THEM.
This guy is a loser. He knew what he was starting when he yelled those comments at her as she was being filmed by a camera crew. Any “man” who attacks a young woman because he doesn’t like the politics of her mother is a sorry excuse for a human being. Likes yelling at young girls to feel powerful, then he sues them.. How pathetic and sad. This guy deserves any backlash that comes out of this from his OWN BEHAVIOR. Bristol was attacked by him and she defended herself. He couldn’t even give an answer to why he thought her mother was evil. All talk and nothing to back it up. He was HUMILIATED by a young girl on television for all of us to see. It was hilarious and this lawsuit should be thrown out. Loser.
I’ve watched it….only because I was extremely bored and couldn’t find anything else to watch at the time. And because I had heard about the Massey lawsuit, so I figured I’d see what all the fuss was about.
TV show or not, if that big mouth loser called my mother a whore I would have beat the living daylights out of him. Try picking on someone your own size LOSER!!!!
Well said my friend .
You know, this bitch could go to any bar in the Mid-West or the South and get the royal treatment. Why L.A.? To go pick a fight that’s why!! and now she’s cryin to momma because she got her ass handed to her. Stay out of L.A., raise your kid, and mind your own business rube!!
We all wonder why it takes so long for legitimate legal action to move through the courts – here is a prime example…7-10 days.
Never saw the show and never intended to…however if you career is ruined by one issue it must not have been that good to begin with….throw this crap out of court
Apparently they have already trashed the show without a court or appeal!
He had every right to state his opinions. She on the other hand had no right to film him without his permission.