Carole Baskin’s lawsuit claims she and her husband did not authorize previously-shot footage of them to be used in a second documentary.
A federal judge on Monday denied a request by Carole Baskin and her husband to issue a temporary restraining order against Netflix and a production company over previously-shot footage of them to be used in the upcoming “Tiger King 2” docuseries. The series is set to premiere Nov. 17.
The suit, filed, in Florida, alleges that Royal Goode Productions is using footage of Baskin and her husband, Howard, even though they only signed releases for the first documentary, Variety reported.
Deadline reported the couple is alleging the production doesn’t have the right to use footage left over from 2020’s “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.”
“Understanding that the Appearance Releases limited Royal Goode Productions’ use of the footage of the Baskins and Big Cat Rescue to the single, initial documentary motion picture, the Baskins believed that any sequel – though odious – would not include any of their footage,” the lawsuit reads, according to Variety.
In a ruling issued later the same day, Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington issued a ruling that said, among other things, the Baskins did not face irreparable harm from the release of the footage.
“Because the Court is not persuaded that the Baskins will suffer irreparable injury unless a temporary restraining order is issued or that the public interest favors entry of a temporary restraining order, the Court need not address the likelihood of success on the merits or the balance of hardships,” the judge wrote. “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.
Hernandez Covington said the case would be referred to a magistrate judge for an evidentiary hearing and consideration of a preliminary injunction.
The Baskins are asking the courts to step in by Nov. 16, according to The Hollywood Reporter — the day before the series premieres.
The outlets said Monday night that Netflix had yet to respond to a request for comment.
On the Netflix series “Tiger King”, Baskin, who owns a big cat refuge, sought to shut down Joseph Maldonado-Passage’s for-profit breeding of big cats. His nickname is “Joe Exotic” and her signature line is “cool cats and kittens.”
Maldonado-Passage is serving a 22-year federal prison term for killing five tigers and plotting to have Baskin killed.
Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue sanctuary claimed the makers of the original “Tiger King” misled them about what the documentary would be about. It claimed the series had the “sole goal of being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
