#LeonardoDiCaprio's Attorneys Wants Judge to Dismiss #Ramapough Lenape #Lawsuit

Newsflash from your Hollywood Attorney:

When Leonardo DiCaprio’s company signed off on producing “Out of the Furnace” it was unlikely that they anticipated a lawsuit would quickly follow. However that is exactly what happened. Yet, lawyers for DiCaprio’s production company have fired back. A Monday story by TMZ reveals that attorneys for DiCaprio have asked a judge to throw out the case citing the First Amendment.

17 members of the Ramapough Lenape Nation filed a lawsuit claiming that “Out of the Furnace” disparaged their tribe. They base this claim on the fact that several members of the characters have last names suggesting Ramapough ancestry, and another character makes a disparaging comment claiming they are inbred.

While the judge in the case has not yet issued a ruling in the matter, it will be interesting to see if DiCaprio’s claim of First Amendment protection will be sufficient to void the lawsuit. However, life is not all legal troubles for Dicaprio.

A Monday story by MSN Entertainment reveals that Dicaprio and his girlfriend, Blake Lively, were spotted enjoying a night out on the town. The story reveals that the two stars were attending a performance by Stevie Wonder at the Hollywood Bowl. It is not clear what the two stars did after the concert, but it is nice to see Leo taking time away from his legal woes to enjoy life.

It is not uncommon for movies to portray historical characters and groups in unflattering lights. However, these groups have historically not had legal recourse on filmmakers. Rather, as long as there was a reasonable level of proof and the movie does not directly make the claim, then the filmmakers are usually safe from lawsuit. As a result, it seems unlikely that the Ramapough lawsuit will be successful.

Do you think that DiCaprio’s company should be legally liable for disparaging the Ramapough Lenape Nation?

Source....examiner

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Celebrities gathered in Bangkok to promote petition to close a loophole sale of elephant tusks.

BANGKOK -- Leonardo DiCaprio is throwing his star power behind an effort to save Africa’s elephants -- via Thailand.

The 38-year-old actor signed a World Wildlife Fund petition:  https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=677  this week, urging Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to outlaw the sale of ivory in her country.

"Illegal wildlife trade is the most urgent threat facing species like tigers, rhinos and elephants. These animals are being killed every day to feed an escalating demand for their body parts," DiCaprio wrote on his Facebook page.

In Thailand, elephants are revered as a sacred animal. But the country currently allows ivory harvested from captive Thai elephants to be legally sold in its shops and marketplaces. All ivory for sale in the Kingdom is required by law to be certified by the Thai Provincial Administration Department as having come from legal sources, but critics say the system is rife with corruption and often gamed, and that Thailand has become a global hotbed for the illegal sale of smuggled African elephant tusks.

"Much of the ivory trade goes through Thailand," DiCaprio wrote. "We can help save these beautiful animals. Join me and the World Wildlife Fund and tell Thailand to ban all sales of ivory."

During a WWF-organized press conference at the landmark Central World mall in downtown Bangkok on Thursday, local Thai TV, film and radio talent -- including, Varin Sachdev, Pip Ravit Terdwong, Nampung Natrarika Thampridanant, Note Watcharabul Leesuwan and Egg Busakorn Tantiphana -- all joined the stage to call on Thai citizens to sign the DiCaprio backed petition.

The organizers are hoping to collect one million signatures before presenting the petition to Prime Minister Yingluck at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which will be held in Bangkok on March 3.

More than 400,000 people from Thailand and across the world have signed the petition so far, according to WWF. Other Hollywood names known to have joined the initiative include: Emily VanCamp and Josh Bowman from ABC’s Revenge, Lost’s Ian Somerhalder, actor Ethan Suplee, and Alyssa Milano.

Read More... http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/leonardo-dicaprio-calls-ivory-ban-423441