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"Sopranos" Suit Sleeps with Fishes
A federal judge has quashed a fellow gavel-banger's claim to Sopranos fame.
Prospect Park, New Jersey, Municipal Court Judge Robert Baer sued Sopranos creator David Chase for a share of the hit HBO show's profits, claiming that the show was based on hizzoner's ideas and contributions.
However, in a decision issued on Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Joel Pisano essentially told Baer to fuhgeddaboudit.
Baer's suit was based on his claim that he met with Chase in 1995 and discussed the concept of the series over lunch.
He said he gave Chase details about his days prosecuting mobsters as an assistant D.A. in New Jersey, and even suggested particularly colorful parts of the state to serve as the show's setting.
According to Baer, Chase kept in touch over the years, seeking authentic Tony Soprano-esque details to use in the show.
The judge claimed that he and Chase had numerous verbal agreements about profit sharing, should the series hit the big time. He said Chase even sent him a rough draft of the first episode for his perusal.
Once The Sopranos became a winner, however, Chase apparently stopped taking Baer's calls, inspiring the judge to bring the matter to the courtroom.
But Baer found no sympathy from the judicial system. Judge Pisano dismissed Baer's claims, saying any such agreement was too vague as to constitute an actual contract.
Pisano's written decision stated that the "essential terms of the contract cannot be determined, that the alleged agreement is too indefinite to allow the court to ascertain with reasonable certainty what each part agreed to, and that the contract cannot be enforced."
Pisano also declined to step in and arbitrate the spat.
He accused Baer of asking the court to create a contract where none existed.
"The court will not do so," Pisano stated.
For his part, Chase claims to have conceived of the show five years prior to his lunch date with Baer. He admitted that he had sent Baer a copy of the show's pilot episode, but said he did so only as a courtesy, as he never used any of Baer's ideas.
The hit series returns to HBO March 7 for its fifth season after a 15-month hiatus following season four's finale. Anxious fans of Tony and the famiglia have had plenty of time to foam at the mouth in eager anticipation.
The sixth and final season of the show is expected to begin production in early 2005, guaranteeing yet another lengthy wait between seasons for impatient Sopranos viewers. Chase has committed to wrapping up the last season in just 10 episodes, as opposed to the usual 13.
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