Go Leo! Defamation Case Brought Against DiCaprio Dismissed After Amicable Settlement
Aug. 5 2014, Published 7:56 a.m. ET
Leonardo DiCaprio’s pal Orlando Bloom just had a scuffle with Justin Bieber and now DiCaprio has come out of a fight of his own! RadarOnline.com has learned that the actor recently settled a defamation suit brought by 17 members of the Ramapough Lunaape Nation — a tribe that makes its home in New Jersey's Ramapo Mountains — who sued his production company for defamation and emotional distress for the film Out of the Furnace.
The trouble started after members of the tribe got upset that they shared the last name of the main character in the movie, Harlan DeGroat. The plaintiffs didn't appreciate that the film made references to them as inbred and dangerous drug addicts.
READ: The Court Papers Dismissing The Suit
DiCaprio's production company countered that they were protected by the First Amendment and pointed out that movies have long portrayed various groups in a negative light, such as The Godfather did with Italians.
But now, a court has dismissed the charges without prejudice after the plaintiffs said their issues with the filmmakers had been amicably adjusted.