Carole Baskin Is Suing Netflix Over Tiger King 2

When Tiger King hit Netflix in March 2020, some of the people featured in the docuseries were not pleased with how they were portrayed. In particular, animal activist Carole Baskin was vocal in the press about her negative feelings toward the series. And now, with a sequel premiering soon, the animosity continues: Carole Baskin is suing Netflix over Tiger King 2, calling the footage of her in the new episodes “unauthorized.” (Elite Daily reached out for comment from Netflix but did not hear back in time for publication.)

Although Tiger King 2 is not out yet, Baskin and her husband, Howard, are already taking legal action against it, with a filing designed to block the sequel from airing any footage of the Baskins. In their complaint, the Baskins claim “[the] Defendants’ unauthorized use of the film footage of the Baskins and Big Cat Rescue secured by Royal Goode Productions under the Appearance Releases will cause the Baskins irreparable injury for which the Baskins have no adequate remedy at law.”

In a statement shared with Elite Daily, Howard Baskin said: “We made it very clear to [Tiger King directors Eric] Goode and [Rebecca] Chaiklin that we had no desire or intent to be involved in TK2. When Netflix released its official Tiger King 2 trailer last week, we were shocked to see that we were going to be a central theme of the sequel, and they were using the film footage again without our permission ... While we cannot stop Netflix and Royal Goode Productions from producing low-brow, salacious and sensational programing, we do believe that we have the right to control footage filmed of us under false pretenses.” (Netflix has yet to speak out about Baskin’s statement or the case itself.)

However, a federal judge in Florida who heard the Baskins’ case came out with a ruling just hours after they filed their lawsuit — and it’s not in the Baskins’ favor. “While the Court understands the Baskins’ frustration, it does not appear that inclusion of Defendants’ footage of the Baskins will cause any immediate harm that cannot be compensated with monetary damages,” Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington stated. “Importantly, the Court merely finds that the Baskins are not entitled to the extraordinary remedy of a temporary restraining order, which would be entered before Defendants have had an adequate opportunity to respond.”

Basically, this means the judge decided not to stop Netflix from releasing Tiger King 2. But that doesn’t mean the Baskins’ legal journey is over. “The Court takes no position on whether the Baskins will be able to establish entitlement to a preliminary injunction,” Covington said, noting that the Baskins’ motion is being referred to another judge for an evidentiary hearing. In short, the Baskins’ case may not have halted the series from coming out at this time, but the legal saga will likely continue.

All five episodes of Tiger King 2 are still on track to arrive on Netflix on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. Tiger King Season 1 is streaming on Netflix.