Iraq veteran sues Moore for $75m over Fahrenheit 9/11

Published on Friday 2 June 2006 01:21

A UNITED States war veteran who lost his arms in Iraq is suing the film director Michael Moore for $75 million (£40 million) over clips in the documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 that he says falsely implied that he opposed the war.

Sgt Peter Damon, 33, who supports George Bush and the Iraq war, claims the clips were used without his permission and that Moore misused the footage to portray him "in a false light" and as "disagreeing with the president about the war effort and as disagreeing with the war effort itself".

He said: "It was kind of almost like the enemy was using me for propaganda. What soldier wants to be involved in that? I didn't lose my arms over there to come back and be used as ammunition against my commander in chief."

In a lawsuit that also names Miramax and several other film companies, his wife is seeking a further $10 million due to "mental distress and anguish".

Fahrenheit 9/11 shows Sgt Damon lying on a hospital trolley at a US army medical centre talking about his injuries. The TV network NBC had originally used the clip for a news story about the medical treatment received by veterans. In the documentary, the clip follows a statement by a US politician about veterans being left behind by the Bush administration.