Activision's brought in the big guns in its case against Manuel Noriega, the imprisoned former military dictator of Panama, who filed suit against the company in July because his likeness appeared in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The company has filed a motion to dismiss the case, saying that its game "constitutes protected expression on issues of public interest" under the First Amendment, and thus Noriega has no right to sue. The motion was filed by Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, a law firm in which former presidential candidate and New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is a partner. Activision has released a statement and a video from Giuliani in support of the case — hoping, obviously, to win a PR battle as well as a legal one. "I'm not interested in giving handouts to a convicted murderer and drug smuggler like Manuel Noriega who is demanding money from Activision and its popular Call of Duty franchise for simply exercising its right to free speech," Giuliani said, in his statement. The motion to dismiss has been filed under California's anti-SLAPP statute — laws designed to protect defendants from lawsuits filed with the aim of censoring free speech. With the motion filed, it's now up to a judge to decided if Noriega's case meets those criteria. You can watch a video of Giuliani's response to the case below:
Read more about:
2014