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American Morning

"Boys Don't Cry" True Story Gets a Ruling

Aired April 20, 2001 - 14:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Ready for some showbiz?

LOU WATERS, CNN ANCHOR: I am.

ALLEN: Laurin's off today.

WATERS: She is, and Paul Vercammen is in, in Los Angeles.

ALLEN: Hi, Paul.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you? Thanks, Lou and Natalie. There's a major development in the case that was chronicled in the Oscar-winning film "Boys Don't Cry." The Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled a former sheriff was negligent for not protecting Teena Brandon from two men who eventually killed her.

As the film documented, the men allegedly raped Brandon after discovering she was a woman pretending to be a man. They shot her after she reported the crime to authorities. Instead of protecting Brandon, the sheriff allegedly referred to her as an "it." Hilary Swank won an Oscar for her portrayal of Brandon in film.

David Spade's former personal assistant has been ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from the comedian. That's part of a sentence handed down after David Warren pled guilty to assaulting Spade with a stun gun. Warren was also ordered to seek psychological counseling. Spade suffered minor injuries in the stun gun incident last year.

Actor Matthew Perry is OK, but his BMW isn't, after a wreck in Los Angeles. He was hit by a woman who ran a stop sign on Thursday, causing major damage to his car. Police say neither drugs nor alcohol played a role in the crash. Perry recently went through rehab for a second time for an undisclosed condition.

Now, coming up, the news that could put David Spade and Matthew Perry out of work. Stay tuned.

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