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"Sopranos" Lawsuit: Fuhgeddaboudit!
So far, The Sopranos have it made in court.
An Italian-American lawyers group has lost yet another court battle in its defamation lawsuit against the HBO series, after a judge last year dismissed their claims that the show insults the "dignity" of Italian-Americans by depicting them as mobsters.
The Chicago-based American Italian Defense Association (AIDA) filed a largely symbolic lawsuit against HBO last year, claiming the cable net violates a little-known "individual dignity" clause in the Illinois Constitution by airing the series.
But on Friday, the Illinois Appellate Court upheld a ruling by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Richard Seibel, who said last September that the group failed to prove it suffered any harm from The Sopranos.
Despite suffering its second blow from the Illinois courts, AIDA says it will press on with its fight.
"It isn't over," says group chairman Ted Grippo, who adds that the group will look into the possibility of a rehearing or an appeal before the state's Supreme Court. "We think it's a narrow decision...and it's not going to deter us from expressing our opinions about the show."
He also dismissed the critical acclaim that's been heaped on the series, saying "just because it's well-written doesn't make it right."
AIDA (like Verdi's opera Aida, get it?) was not seeking monetary damages from its lawsuit--nor was it asking HBO to yank the show from its schedule. Rather, the group's lawsuit sought to bring the matter before a jury, which would then decide if The Sopranos insults the dignity of Italian-Americans.
The complaint cited Section 20 of the Illinois Constitution, which condemns "communications that portray criminality, depravity or lack of virtue" in racial, religious or ethnic groups. But Judge Siebel later ruled that producers have the free-speech right to make Tony Soprano's family as nasty as they please.
For its part, HBO and its parent AOL Time Warner, defended the series, saying it did not disparage the Italian-American community and argued that dismissal of the lawsuit was necessary because it could leave producers (and other shows) vulnerable to more lawsuits.
Right now, however, Sopranos fans are probably less concerned about upcoming court dates than the premiere date for their beloved series. For the record, season four of the series returns to HBO on September 15.
The new season will launch as scheduled despite series godfather James Gandolfini's recent ill health.
According to the New York Daily News, cast and crew had to shoot around Gandolfini's scenes after the actor suffered debilitating back pain.
"He couldn't move," Gandolfini rep Stan Rosenfield tells the paper. "He literally was immobilized. His back just went out. He couldn't go to work for two or three days. He was in a lot of pain."
But Gandolfini has since recovered and returned to the set. Says Rosenfield: "He's back establishing order in the Soprano family."
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