Judge scraps Sopranos suit

A judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Italian-American organization that accused HBO of stereotyping Italian-Americans in its mafia drama, The Sopranos.
AP reports Cook County Circuit Court Judge Richard A. Siebel threw out the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled in Circuit Court.

The American Italian Defense Association (AIDA), which sued Time Warner Entertainment under the ``individual dignity'' clause of the Illinois Constitution, said it will appeal the decision.

The group sought no monetary judgment or the cable show's cancellation, but a declaration from a jury that the show offends the dignity of Italian-Americans, attorney Ted Grippo, who represented the association, had said.
Tom Yannucci, a lawyer representing Time Warner, had argued that viewers wouldn't assume from watching the show that all Italian-Americans are mobsters or morally corrupt.