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Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism University of Southern California
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'Innocence of Muslims' Actress Files Lawsuit

Actress Cindy Lee Garcia claims she did not give consent to be used in the controversial film.

One of the stars of the controversial anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims," Cindy Lee Garcia, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the producer of the film, claiming that he duped her into participating in the project.

Garcia filed suit against Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, also known as "Sam Bacile," claiming that she did not give consent for her "image, likeness or performance to be used in such a vile and offensive film."

The lawsuit, which also names YouTube and its parent company Google, Inc., alleges invasion of privacy, misappropriation of Garcia's likeness, fraud and unfair business practices.

Google and YouTube have refused to take down the video following complaints from Garcia, according to the press release.

In the film, Garcia plays the mother of a 12-year-old girl set to marry the Prophet Muhammad.  Garcia's character calls Muhammad a "child molester," yet Garcia claims that the script she read never once mentioned the Prophet.

The actress reports that she lost her job and has received multiple death threats due to her performance in the film, which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called "disgusting and reprehensible." 

Protests and unrest broke out around the Middle East and Northern Africa following the film's release last week.  The film was also blamed for sparking the attack on the United States Consulate in Libya which led to the death of four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

Garcia is not the first actor to claim Bacile misled them regarding his intentions for the film.  Actor Myles Crawley reported to the LA Times on Tuesday that "to his horror," his face was shown in a photo linked to an article about "Innocence of Muslims."  He claims that there was no mention of Muhammad or Islam in the script he saw while working on the project for Bacile.

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