Arbitrator Rejects Defamation Claim in ‘Queen of Versailles’ Case

An arbitrator says the documentary film “Queen of Versailles” didn’t defame timeshare mogul David Siegel’s company.

The arbitrator also ruled that Siegel’s company, Westgate Resorts, must pay $750,000 toward filmmaker Lauren Greenfield’s legal fees.

Westgate sued Greenfield in 2012 alleging the documentary depicted the resort company as failing to pay its bills and being forced to lay off workers.

Arbitrator Roy Rifkin ruled Westgate failed to prove its case, saying he didn’t find anything in the documentary that was false. Westgate also failed to show it was damaged by the movie.

The documentary was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, and Westgate also objected to a Sundance publicity news release about the film.

Rifkin says Westgate wasn’t damaged by the release.