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Litigation

Nov. 15, 2016

Judge: Smoking depictions in films protected by free speech

The MPAA's rating system is an opinion, not an authority, the judge ruled.

By Steven Crighton
Daily Journal Staff Writer

A judge snuffed out a lawsuit seeking to bar depictions of smoking in films intended for young audiences, finding that such an order would stifle filmmakers' free speech rights.

Plaintiff Timothy Forsyth sought class certification and a court order declaring that a movie studio's failure to assign an "R" rating to films portraying smoking in a nonnegative or light is n...

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