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 U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Locke in Central Islip, New
York, on Thursday said DiCaprio must be made available for
questioning, which was opposed by Viacom Inc's Paramount
Pictures Corp, DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions and other
defendants.
The plaintiff, Andrew Greene, sued in 2014 for more than $50
million, claiming that he was defamed in the film through the
portrayal by actor P.J. Byrne of a morally and ethically
challenged character named Nicky "Rugrat" Koskoff.
Paramount has said Koskoff was a "composite character" inspired
by multiple individuals, including Greene.
DiCaprio, 41, played Jordan Belfort, a stock swindler who
founded Stratton Oakmont and whose 2007 memoir was a basis for
the film. Greene was a childhood friend of Belfort.
In opposing a deposition, defense lawyers said DiCaprio did not
write the screenplay, and that there was no claim he had any
role in deciding whether alleged defamatory content should be
included in or excluded from the film.
Greene's lawyers said they had already questioned Scorsese
and screenwriter Terence Winter, and that both testified that
they met regularly with DiCaprio to discuss the "Wolf" script.
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Louis Petrich, a lawyer for the defendants, declined to comment.
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including DiCaprio
as best actor, Scorsese as best director and Winter for the
screenplay, but did not win any.
Locke's order does not say when DiCaprio will be questioned.
The case is Greene v Paramount Pictures Corp et al, U.S. District
Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 14-01044.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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