December 12, 2012 | The Biz

Court dismisses Bel Ami lawsuit over cruise

Yesterday, a Los Angeles federal judge dismissed porn company Bel Ami's lawsuit against RSVP Vacations and Holland Line cruises.

Bel Ami had alleged that several of its porn stars were stranded on Tunisia's war-torn shores after being kicked off the cruise for filming sexually explicit material. Bel Ami argued it had been given permission to film non-sexual documentary footage, and that by ordering the stars from the boat the cruise line was in breech of contract.

Holland Line countered that it never agreed to allow filming on board. It also said it gave the models a choice: either give up the film equipment for the remainder of the trip or disembark. It even suggested letting them off at a gay-friendly port.

The suit was not thrown out due to lack of evidence, or in favor of either side in the dispute. The judge ruled that because none of the plaintiffs were American citizens, they could not seek remedy in the American courts in against an American company and a Dutch company.

"It is well-established that there is no diversity jurisdiction where there are foreign entities on both sides of an action, without presence of citizens of a [US] state on both sides," the judge ruled.

Now, if the Bel Ami boys would like to film some high seas sexcapades in our bathtub, they are certainly more than welcome!

Bel Ami Models’ Lawsuit Against Cruise Company Dismissed [Queerty]