David
Chase: "Sopranos Lawsuit Made Me Want to Cry" 12/20/07
The Sopranos creator David Chase almost broke down in tears when he
discovered a former judge was suing him, claiming he helped to create the
hit show.
Robert Bauer alleges he spent three days with Chase, introducing him to
people with mobster connections and taking him for tours around mob sites.
He claims Chase based characters and much of the Sopranos pilot on
information he had helped him obtain - and is suing for a share of
profits.
On Tuesday (18Dec07), Chase told a Trenton, New Jersey, court he was
left devastated by Bauer's claims, saying, "You're a man, you're a
grown-up, you're not supposed to cry. But I felt like crying. Mr Bauer was
going to sue me for half of everything I had made.
"The Sopranos was me. That was my mother, my uncles. Here he was
saying he took credit for half of it.
"All I ever wanted was to be original, and for someone to claim I
stole his idea, it made me sick - it was an anathema."
The court must decide if Bauer's services should be compensated, and if
so, by how much.
The case continues.