Romeo and Juliet's actors filed a case alleging child sex assault, but a court in Los Angeles has decided to throw it out.
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| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey claimed the director of the movie forced them to film naked when they were minors.
The scene wasn't "sufficiently sexually suggestive" enough, according to a Superior Court judge, to nullify First Amendment rights.
Whiting was 16 and Hussey was 15 while the movie was being made.
Judge Alison Mackenzie of the Los Angeles Superior Court stated in a provisional decision on Thursday that the plaintiffs "cherry-picked" which legislation pertained to their case. She said that the case did not satisfy the criteria for suspending the child sexual abuse statute of limitations.
Ms. Hussey's and Mr. Whiting's respective legal counsel Solomon Gresen told BBC News that he believed the decision was on "the wrong side of this issue."
Nude youngsters mimicking sexual congress are not protected by the First Amendment, according to Mr. Gresen.
He stated that he plans to launch a different action in federal court and that his clients are thinking about filing an appeal.
Both Ms. Hussey and Mr. Whiting, who are now in their 70s, said in a joint statement that they would keep fighting.
"Justice has been delayed for almost 55 years. They responded, "I guess we'll have to wait a little longer.
The performers accuse Paramount Pictures of sexual assault and child abuse in a lawsuit they filed against the studio in December. They said that despite earlier promises that they wouldn't have to, the film's director, Franco Zeffirelli, had urged them to shoot nude sequences.
The original lawsuit claimed that Zeffirelli, who passed away in 2019, warned they had to perform in the nude "or the Picture would fail".
He then gave both actors his word that no nudity would be caught on video, according to the lawsuit.
Whiting's and Hussey's naked breasts were only briefly shown in the scene's version of the movie.
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| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
Based on the hardship they said they had gone through and the money the movie had made since its premiere, the two actors asked for more than $500 million (£417 million) in damages.
In a statement, Mr. Gresen stated, "We firmly believe that the sexualization and exploitation of children in the film industry must be confronted and legally addressed to protect vulnerable people from harm and ensure the enforcement of existing laws."
Romeo and Juliet, adapted in 1968, was nominated for many Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Cinematography.
But throughout time, the classic bedroom scene has also generated debate.
The movie is still being screened in classrooms all around the world when studying William Shakespeare.
