LOS ANGELES – A federal judge said Friday he will sweep away Carol Burnett's $2 million copyright infringement lawsuit over the use of her mop-toting cleaning lady character in a "Family Guy" episode.
U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson said in a written tentative ruling that he planned to dismiss the suit against 20th Century Fox. He will issue a final ruling later.
Burnett sued the studio in March, contending that its Fox Broadcasting cartoon, "Family Guy," didn't have her permission to include her Charwoman character in an April 2006 episode.
The episode portrayed the character as a cleaning woman in a sex shop and also used a version of the theme music to her old TV series without permission, the suit claimed.
At the time, the studio said it was surprised by the suit over what amounted to about an 18-second scene.
A call Friday to 20th Century Fox Television spokesman Chris Alexander was not immediately returned.
Burnett's attorney, Robert Denton, also could not immediately be reached for comment.
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