Sergio Jadue, former president of the National Association of Professional Football (ANFP), filed a civil lawsuit in the southern district court of Florida, United States, against the company Amazon and others involved in the production of the series El Presidente. This fiction, distributed by Prime Video, portrays the Chilean leader (who remains in North America following the explosion of the FIFA Gate case) as the leader of a gang dedicated to defrauding soccer in the region. The person who plays him is the Colombian actor Andrés Parra, known for his character as Pablo Escobar in The Patron of Evil.
According to Diario Financiero, The lawsuit was filed on May 31 and accuses Amazon of defamation and invasion of privacy. Jadue’s lawyer, Giacomo Bossa, states that “Amazon’s portrait of Mr. Jadue in El Presidente “represents him inaccurately, and we seek to address the inaccuracies and harm they may have caused.”
This legal action filed by Calerano He alleges that the series includes numerous fictional acts and depicts him as involved in criminal activities that he did not commit, such as money laundering, bribery and fraud. It also contains allegations of tortious interference with business relationships and invasion of privacy. Jadue’s lawyers argue that Amazon sought to attract an audience at the expense of their client’s reputation and that the falsehoods presented in the fiction have negatively affected their businesses and business opportunities.
Furthermore, it is mentioned a violation of Florida law for unauthorized publication of name or image, because Amazon promoted El Presidente using the identity of the former Chilean soccer coach without his consent.
As a result of all this, It is alleged that Sergio Jadue suffered damages, including loss of income and damage to his reputation. The lawsuit seeks precautionary measures so that the company, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, removes the series from its streaming platform and compensates the Chilean for the damages suffered. “The lies subject Jadue to hatred, distrust, ridicule, contempt and/or disgrace,” the lawsuit states. adding that the defendants disclosed false statements “in a concerted effort to appeal to a broader audience at the expense of Jadue’s name, reputation, and business relationships.”
The President is a series produced by Fábula, Gaumont and Kapow for Amazon Prime Video, whose first season began filming in March 2019 and premiered in June 2020. In the fiction, not only is the former president of the ANFP portrayed, but also to other South American managers involved in FIFA Gate such as the Argentine Julio Grondona, the Colombian Luis Bedoya, the Venezuelan Rafael Esquivel, the Uruguayan Eugenio Figueredo and the Brazilian José María Marín.
