Bristol Palin Sued Again as Show is Moved From Time Slot
Bristol Palin's short-lived reality series, "Life's a Tripp!" has been canceled from its time slot by Lifetime and has been moved to a less prominent showtime, but lawsuits are still pending against the young star and the network. A local man has again sued Palin and Lifetime for capturing him on film and airing his words without explicit permission.
Stephen Hanks was "simply a patron at the bar," his lawyer Michael Gulden told E! Entertainment News. "He felt this was the only way he could protect his rights," Gulden explained.
Hanks was at the local bar when Palin entered. The two had a confrontation about her mother, politician and news commentator Sarah Palin. "Your mother's a whore!" Hanks yelled as Bristol rode a mechanical bull.
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"Several of the bar patrons began to talk about their general dislike of the politicians of the Palins," Gulden said.
Hanks has decided to sue Palin and Lifetime's parent company A&E, claiming that his rights were infringed upon and the company had no right to air his confrontation on public television. Even though Hanks issued an apology through his lawyer, he has pursued the lawsuit in state court.
Hanks is asking for $75,000, but the case has moved from federal court to state court after it was dismissed by judges. Upon the dismissal he immediately filed suit in state court, still hopeful to cash in on the publicity generated by his comments.
"Bristol Palin's conduct was outrageous," court documents stated. "Bristol Palin first accused Plaintiff [Hanks] of 'being a homosexual' in a degrading manner in front of others…she then in a magazine article blamed Plaintiff for her decision to leave Los Angeles for Alaska, even though she had purchased her home in Alaska…more than two months before the encounter."
Hanks "has communicated with A&E regarding use of the footage, and they were non-responsive. He felt filing the suit was all he could do to protect his rights," Gulden told Reuters.
"Life's a Tripp!" was moved from its time slot after only a handful of episodes due to low ratings.
