Judge throws Romeo and Juliet' child nude scene lawsuitA California judge has thrown out a child abuse lawsuit over a nude scene filed by actors who played in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 Romeo and Juliet .
by Agence France-Presse
26-05-2023 09:54
in Entertainment
Image from Flickr by enokilover.collection
A child abuse lawsuit over a nude scene filed by actors who played star-crossed lovers in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 Romeo and Juliet will be thrown out, a California judge said Thursday.
--
Olivia Hussey was 15 and Leonard Whiting 16 when they starred in the Oscar-winning film of William Shakespeare's tragedy from Hollywood studio Paramount Pictures.
The film featured a brief bedroom scene in which Whiting's buttocks and Hussey's bare breasts were visible, and the actors now both in their 70s claimed in a lawsuit filed in December that the movie amounted to sexual exploitation.
ALSO READ | Romeo and Juliet' child actors sue for more than $500M over 1968 nude scene
--
But a judge Thursday granted Paramount's motion to throw out the suit, rejecting its argument that the scene amounted to child pornography and noting that the award-winning film was covered under freedom of speech protections.
Plaintiffs have not put forth any authority showing the film here can be deemed to be sufficiently sexually suggestive as a matter of law to be held to be conclusively illegal, wrote Judge Alison Mackenzie, according to Variety.
Disqualified lawsuit The statute of limitations had also expired, she ruled, determining that the lawsuit had not qualified for a California measure temporarily unlocking historic child abuse claims.
--
ALSO READ | Child victims of sexual violence aren't heard or understood
Variety reported that during a 2018 interview with Hussey, she had defended the nude scene, which she insisted Zeffirelli had done tastefully.
(FILES) Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey attend the 50th Anniversary World Premiere Restoration of The Producers' presented as the Opening Night Gala of the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival at the TCL Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California on April 26, 2018. A child abuse lawsuit over a nude scene filed by actors who played star-crossed lovers in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 Romeo and Juliet will be thrown out, a California judge said May 25, 2023. (Photo by CHRIS DELMAS / AFP) It was needed for the film, she told the outlet at the time.
But the suit filed last December said Zeffirelli who died in 2019 cajoled the teenage pair into performing the scene, telling them without it the picture would fail.
ALSO READ | Journalist who accused Trump of rape in 1990s files new LAWSUIT
It alleged that the director had originally insisted there would be no actual nudity, with both actors covered by flesh-colored underwear.
Defendants were dishonest and secretly filmed the nude or partially nude minor children without their knowledge, in violation of the state and federal laws regulating indecency and exploitation of minors for profit, the suit said.
Exploitation and sexualization of minors' The complaint, which claimed damages of hundreds of millions of dollars, said the two performers suffered mental anguish and emotional distress, and had only limited professional success following its release.
ALSO READ | Ed Sheeran, singer and song writer wins US trial lawsuit
Hussey and Whiting's lawyer Solomon Gresen strongly denounced the ruling, in a statement sent to AFP, and said he plans to file the claims before a federal court within weeks.
We firmly believe that the exploitation and sexualization of minors in the film industry must be confronted and legally addressed to protect vulnerable individuals from harm and ensure the enforcement of existing laws, he wrote.
Agence France-Presse
How much of a rugby fanatic are you? Answer these 5 simple rugby questions and stand the chance of winning R1 000 in cash!
Africa Stories
15/03/2026
Johannesburg, 14 March 2026 - On 13 and 14 March 2026, the 19th Annual South Afr...
12/03/2026
Johannesburg, 11 March 2026 - The 19th Annual South African Film and Television ...
03/03/2026
Click here for isiXhosa version.
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers from Matatiele and surrounding areas to...
17/02/2026
Johannesburg, 17 February 2026 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), ...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture and custodian of the SAFTAs, is calling on all South Afri...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the call for training provider submissions is open. This funding aims to award grants ...
06/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
04/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites final-year animation students to participate in an exclusive creative showcase at the Annecy International...
02/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), is calling for applications from experienced Sou...
29/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distribut...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
20/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
07/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distributor, is commissioning new micro-budget fiction feature films and invites eligible...
31/10/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 October 2025
It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Segomotso Keorapetse, an award- winning South African television d...
29/10/2025
It's not the wonders of the world that make a place; it's the people. As...
07/10/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
02/10/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...
30/09/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa, 29 September 2025: The National Film and Video Found...
26/09/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sport, Ar...
26/09/2025
https://www.nfvf.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/fully-Inclusive-nfvf-invitatio...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
27/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
25/08/2025
Theme: One Story. One Industry. One Future. - Celebrating South Africa's Screen Legacy, Together
Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (N...
04/08/2025
S o Paulo Film and Audiovisual Company (Spcine) and the National Film and Video ...
15/07/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
28/06/2025
Johannesburg, 27 June 2025 - As the nation commemorates Youth Month
2025, the N...
24/06/2025
Panels of the National Film and Video Foundation in Accordance with the NFVF Act...
13/06/2025
Johannesburg, 12 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
11/06/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa - 10 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundati...
10/06/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa - 10 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundati...
06/06/2025
S o Paulo Film and Audiovisual Company (Spcine) and the National Film and Video ...
05/06/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa 4 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundatio...
29/05/2025
Rest in Power, a True Legend of Our Screens
Johannesburg, South Africa 27 May...
29/05/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa 28 May 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Vincent Blennies, has resigned from...
22/05/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
13/05/2025
The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture that was create...
10/05/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/05/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/04/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
08/04/2025
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Vincent Blennies as Chief Exec...
04/04/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites final-year animation students to submit character designs inspired by lead characters from any South Afric...
14/03/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/03/2025
Antis pticos Orales: Revisi n De La Literatura Y Perspectiva Actual Influenza son contradictorios, dadas las elevadas tasas de curaci n espont nea. De ser neces...
28/02/2025
The Future of Green Energy: Challenges and Prospects Green energy, also known as renewable energy, has emerged as a critical solution to global energy challenge...
27/02/2025
Beginner Coding in Python: Building the Simplest AI Chat Companion Possible
AI-powered Personal VoiceBot for Language Learning by Gamze Zorlubas
You can ear...
24/12/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is calling for applications from South African film and television filmmakers to be part of the NFVF's delegat...
Judge throws Romeo and Juliet' child nude scene lawsuitA California judge has thrown out a child abuse lawsuit over a nude scene filed by actors who played in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 Romeo and Juliet .
