Freedom to mock upheld

We read:

"A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Jerry Seinfeld by a chef who accused the comic of wrecking her reputation when he mocked her during a US TV interview in 2007.

Missy Chase Lapine sued the funnyman's wife Jessica in 2008, claiming Seinfeld's bestselling cookbook Deceptively Delicious had been "brazenly plagiarised" from her own tome, The Sneaky Chef. The suit was thrown out of court in 2009 and a subsequent appeal was dismissed the following year.

Chase Lapine also filed suit against Seinfeld for damaging her reputation after he dubbed her a "wacko" during an interview with David Letterman when quizzed over his wife's legal battle.

However, Justice Marcy Friedman refused to allow the case to go any further on Friday when she dismissed the complaint, insisting it's clear the star was joking during the interview.

A lawyer for Seinfeld says, "(The) decision is a complete victory for Jerry - and also a victory for the First Amendment and the right of comedians to tell jokes.

Source