Man assaulted on MTV's 'Jersey Shore' seeks to block DVD release

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Man assaulted on MTV's 'Jersey Shore' seeks to block DVD release

Mon Feb 22, 2010 @ 09:52AM PST

By Eriq Gardner

Jersey-shore-mtv1 A man beaten during an episode of MTV's reality show "Jersey Shore" is suing to prevent the release of the first season of the show on DVD as well as future airings of two episodes.

Stephen Izzo Jr. has filed a lawsuit in New Jersey Superior Court against cast member Ronnie Ortiz, MTV, Viacom International, and various producers and staff on the show, claiming they shouldn't be able to profit from criminal conduct. Ortiz was arrested by police and charged with aggravated assault on Izzo last September.

"What you have is a criminal act that MTV orchestrated and had the ability to prevent, and are profiting from," says Izzo's attorney, Eugene LaVergne.

The episode, "One Shot," shows the cast members hanging out at a nightclub. After Nicole "Snookie" begins making out with a man, a "rather harsh verbal altercation" ensues with the man's girlfriend and her friends, including Izzo. Allegedly, bodyguards employed by the show intervened and started choking Izzo, before Ortiz got involved and punched Izzo in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.

"After punching plaintiff, defendant Ronnie Ortiz ran back to the MTV group screaming in a bragging euphoria how he had knocked out plaintiff with 'one shot,'" the complaint says.

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The Hollywood Reporter, Esq. blog focuses on how the entertainment and media industries are impacted and influenced by the law. It is edited by Matthew Belloni with contributions from veteran legal reporter Eriq Gardner and others. Before joining The Hollywood Reporter, Belloni was a lawyer at an entertainment litigation firm in Los Angeles. He writes a column for THR devoted to entertainment law. Gardner is a New York-based writer and legal journalist. Send tips or comments to [email protected]

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