‘Tiger King’ Star Carole Baskin Sues Netflix, Judge Denies Motion to Stop Season 2 Release
The Tiger King drama is just heating up as Carole Baskin is suing Netflix for using footage of her in the upcoming docuseries, though it doesn’t look like it will stop the show from airing.
Baskin and her husband, Howard Baskin, filed a contract lawsuit in Tampa, Florida on Monday, November 1, alleging that the streamer and producers Royal Goode Productions used “unauthorized” footage of her in Tiger King 2. According to the lawsuit, Baskin and her husband only signed appearance release forms for the first documentary.
However, mere hours after the suit was filed, a federal judge denied the couple’s request for a temporary restraining order. This means that the follow-up docuseries from directors Rebecca Chaiklin and Eric Goode will premiere as scheduled on November 17.
“While the Court understands the Baskins’ frustration, it does not appear that inclusion of Defendants’ footage of the Baskins will cause any immediate harm that cannot be compensated with monetary damages,” said Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington (via Deadline).
“Importantly, the Court merely finds that the Baskins are not entitled to the extraordinary remedy of a temporary restraining order, which would be entered before Defendants have had an adequate opportunity to respond.”
The Big Cat Rescue CEO claims that Netflix has no right to use any footage left over from 2020’s Emmy-nominated Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.
“Defendants’ unauthorized use of the film footage of the Baskins and Big Cat Rescue secured by Royal Goode Productions under the Appearance Releases will cause the Baskins irreparable injury for which the Baskins have no adequate remedy at law,” reads the suit, which seeks an injunction, costs and more.
The trailer for Tiger King 2 dropped last week, and while it focuses on the now-imprisoned Joe Exotic, it also includes a lot of footage of Carole Baskin.
In a statement to Deadline, Howard Baskin said, “While we cannot stop Netflix and Royal Goode Productions from producing low-brow, salacious and sensational programing, we do believe that we have the right to control footage filmed of us under false pretenses. We like to believe that most Americans will agree that we should be entitled to protect our reputations in this manner and hold entertainment giants to their word.”
Tiger King 2, Premiere, November 17, Netflix
