Sacha Baron Cohen Drops Lawsuit Against Massachusetts Dispensary

Actor Sacha Baron Cohen on Tuesday dropped his lawsuit against Solar Therapeutics, the Massachusetts cannabis company that used the image of his Borat character on a billboard without his permission, the Associated Press reports. The legal filing dropping the case did not mention settlement details.

The billboard advertising had featured the Borat character with two thumbs up and the words “It’s nice!” – one of the character’s catchphrases.

In the lawsuit, Baron Cohen’s attorney attested that the actor has “never has used cannabis in his life” and “never would participate in an advertising campaign for cannabis, for any amount of money.” The lawsuit sought $9 million in damages.

In the original complaint, Baron Cohen’s attorney argued that, with his ‘Ali G’ character, Baron-Cohen “has spent much of his career making a mockery of ‘stoner’ culture – a culture which the defendants’ Billboard overtly celebrates,” according to a Benzinga report.

The lawsuit noted that Baron Cohen has never allowed his characters or likeness to be used for advertising purposes other than TV or films involving them and that the three-time Oscar nominee had once turned down a $4 million offer to appear in a car commercial.

The billboard along a Massachusetts interstate highway was removed three days after Baron Cohen’s attorneys sent a cease-and-desist order to the dispensary.