Published January 13, 2015
Attorneys in a lawsuit that accuses the makers of the TV series The Sopranos of offending Italian Americans by depicting them as mobsters say they will seek another hearing in the case.
The Italian-American Defense Association had filed the lawsuit against Time Warner Entertainment Co. under the "individual dignity" clause of the Illinois Constitution.
Attorneys for the association said the group didn't want money or the HBO show's cancellation, but a declaration from a jury that the show offends the dignity of Italian Americans.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Richard Siebel dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice last September, ruling that the clause in the state's Constitution was merely advisory.
The Illinois Appellate Court upheld that ruling June 28.
The association plans to file a motion for a rehearing, Michael Polelle, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said Tuesday. He said if the group loses in circuit court, it will ask for a hearing before the Illinois Supreme Court.
Time Warner's lawyer, Tom Yannucci, previously argued that viewers would not assume from watching the show that all Italian Americans are mobsters or morally corrupt.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/sopranos-plaintiffs-to-try-again