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Feb 26, 2008 11:25 am US/Eastern
Seinfeld Seeks To Toss Author's Lawsuit
NEW YORK (AP) ―
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Lawyers for the Seinfelds dismissed the plagiarism allegations in the court filing, saying, "The idea of sneaking healthy foods into a child's diet is not original to your author."
AP
Jerry Seinfeld was just joking when he compared a woman accusing his
wife of plagiarism to the killers of John Lennon and the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr., his lawyers said.
In a filing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, attorneys for the
former sitcom star asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit filed by Missy
Chase Lapine against Seinfeld and his wife, the Daily News reported in
Tuesday editions.
"Jerry Seinfeld made overstatements of opinion for comic effect," the comedian's lawyers said in the filing.
Lapine is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for
copyright and trademark infringement, and made slander and defamation
claims.
Lapine, the author of "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding
Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals," accused Seinfeld's wife of
plagiarizing her cookbook. Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious:
Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food" was published in
October; Lapine's book was published in April.
Lawyers for the Seinfelds dismissed the plagiarism allegations in
the court filing, saying, "The idea of sneaking healthy foods into a
child's diet is not original to your author."
Lapine also contended in her lawsuit that Jerry Seinfeld, while
making a promotional stop on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman,"
suggested she was a crackpot by comparing her to the killers of Lennon
and King.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
