Did You Know That the Real World Has an STD Waiver?

A local woman is suing the producers of The Real World D.C. over her portrayal in the show. I don’t really care about this woman’s claims or why she thinks she’s owed $5 million, but in case you’re interested, DCist reports:

In the suit, Golzar Amirmotazedi, 22, says that during one episode, cast members Andrew and Josh plied her with alcohol at a bar, brought her home, kicked her out after she refused sex and then proceeded to make fun of her. As a consequence of her brief appearance on one of the episodes (our recap of the episode in question is here; it’s the second of the two), the suit claims that Amirmotazedi was subject to ridicule in online forums, lost her self-esteem and became depressed, left her job and was denied other employment, had trouble sleeping, and suffered from nausea.

Yes, yes, yes. Terrible. Men are pigs, they only buy girls drinks in order to sleep with them and get pissed off when they don’t put out. (Kash here: I felt duty-bound to watch this season as it was set in my old hometown, and if I remember that episode correctly, Andrew was playing wingman to Josh, and thus entertaining Golzar while greasy Josh hooked it with her friend. Golzar was trying her best to get Andrew to dump his gf and hook up with her. He declined, because he surprisingly had a very hot gf.)

But can we get to the waiver this woman signed? That’s what allowed MTV to air her decision to play a drunken cock-tease in front of the cameras…

MTV has been at this a long time. I’m sure tons of people have tried to sue the producers of the Real World, so I expected the Real World waiver to be tighter than a rape-nullifying pair of skinny jeans. But I had no idea it was this detailed. DCist obtained a copy of the release form. It’s not a copy of the form Amirmotazedi likely signed, but the publication reports that other people who have appeared on the show signed substantially similar documents. Here’s paragraph 5 of the waiver form (ALL-CAPS in the original):

5. I UNDERSTAND THAT PRODUCER DOES NOT MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES ABOUT THE CAST MEMBERS IN THE PROGRAM OR OF ANY OTHER PERSON WHOM I MAY ENCOUNTER IN CONNECTION WITH MY PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE MENTAL OR PHYSICAL HEALTH OF ANY SUCH PERSON. IF I CHOOSE TO ENGAGE IN CONSENSUAL SEXUAL BEHAVIOR OR INTIMATE CONTACT WITH ANY SUCH PERSON I DO SO VOLUNTARILY AND KNOWINGLY AND I ASSUME THE RISK THAT BY ENGAGINF IN SUCH ACTIVITY I MAY CONTRACT CERTAIN SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES. PRODUCER MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION THAT ANY SUCH PERSON IS STD FREE. I AM COGNIZANT OF THE RISKS AND I SHALL BEHAVE IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH GOOD JUDGMENT AND CAUTION AS I WOULD IN MY DAILY LIFE. I EXPLICITLY INCLUDE ANY INJURIES OR HARM THAT I MAY SUFFER AS A RESULT OF ENGAGING IN SUCH CONDUCT WITHIN THE MATTERS FOR WHICH I AM RELEASING YOU FROM ANY CLAIMS OR LIABILITIES.

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Surely, this language reflects past STD-based lawsuits against the producers of the Real World. But I suppose this paragraph could also be forward-looking. When Kash read the waiver form, she said: “If you had sex with a Real World D.C. cast member, you deserve an STD.”

Ouch.

Most likely Golzar Amirmotazedi made the right call to keep her skirt on. But does she have a claim that can survive this kind of release document? Her lawyers think so:

The suit not only stresses that she was forced to drink eight to 10 alcoholic beverages (including shots of tequila and Jaegermeister), but it describes her as having a “slight build” and weighing “approximately 100 pounds,” and that she “does not frequently drink alcoholic beverages.” Her lawyers are trying to make the claim that she was far too drunk to consent to any legal document — and that it was Andrew and Josh who got her drunk.

“Forced”? Did these Andrew and Josh fellows pin her down and funnel liquor down her throat? Was she unaware that the cameras was rolling the entire time?

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In any event, I’m trying to think of another situation in which someone would put an STD waiver in front of you. Any thoughts? Do you have to sign anything before you go into the Playboy mansion, or an Usher concert?

Woman Sues MTV for Depiction on The Real World D.C. [DCist]