By Tim Ghianni
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct 16 (Reuters) - A federal judge has
dismissed a civil rights lawsuit filed by two black men who said
they were rejected for the starring role of "The Bachelor" on
the popular ABC reality television show because of their race.
The discrimination suit filed by Nathaniel Claybrooks and
Christopher Johnson in Nashville federal court argued that ABC
had never cast a person of color - African-American, Hispanic or
Asian - in the show's central role as a matter of policy.
The men's goals were "laudable," but the rights of the
show's producers to control their creative content are protected
by the First Amendment, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger ruled
on Monday in dismissing the case.
Claybrooks and Johnson had sued ABC, which is owned by Walt
Disney Co, Warner Horizon Television Inc, which produces the
show, Next Entertainment Inc, NZK Productions Inc and executive
producer Michael Fleiss in April.
"We felt from the outset this case was completely without
merit and we are pleased the court has found in our favor," WB
Entertainment spokesman Paul McGuire said on Tuesday. Warner
Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.
An attorney representing Claybrooks and Johnson could not be
reached for comment on Tuesday.
The two reality shows in question, "The Bachelor" and "The
Bachelorette," follow a man or woman's search for a mate that is
chronicled through dates with a couple of dozen contenders until
a selection is made on the season-ending episodes.
Claybrooks, a former college football player and an
entrepreneur, and Johnson, a teacher and football coach, said
when they filed their lawsuit that their auditions for the show
were perfunctory compared with those for the potential white
bachelors.
Claybrooks and Johnson "seek to support social acceptance of
interracial relationships, to eradicate outdated racial taboos,
and to encourage television networks not to perpetuate outdated
racial stereotypes," Trauger wrote.
"Nevertheless, the First Amendment prevents the plaintiffs
from effectuating these goals by forcing the defendants to
employ race-neutral criteria in their casting decisions in order
to 'showcase' a more progressive message."
"The Bachelor" debuted on ABC in 2002 and "The Bachelorette"
started the next year. As of the filing of the lawsuit in April,
neither show had featured a person of color in the leading role
and the vast majority of contestants had been white.
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