Borat case dismissed

A New York judge has tossed out a defamation lawsuit brought by a businessman shown in the movie Borat as he is chased down Manhattan's Fifth Ave by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.

The 2006 hit, starring Cohen as a crass Kazakhstan journalist, can be deemed "newsworthy", defined in its most liberal and far-reaching terms, US District Judge Loretta A. Preska said.

The lawsuit had sought unspecified damages for Jeffrey Lemerond, who claimed he was humiliated when the Borat character tried to catch him. In the movie, Lemerond is shown yelling "Go away!" as Borat chases him, trying to hug strangers.