Appeals Court Shuts Down Lawsuit Of The Simpsons’ “Louie” Character

D’oh!

Only in America would we have someone produce a documentary complaining about an apparent likeness between himself and a character on The Simpsons and then on the other end of the spectrum is actor Frank Sivero (Goodfellas) totally fine with the fact that his likeness may have been used on The Simpsons just that he wants to get paid.

Well, that last part isn’t happening, because according to The Hollywood Reporter, a California appeals court has officially turned down Frank’s $250 million lawsuit against the producers of The Simpsons for using his visual likeness as inspiration for the “Louie” character on longest-running animated series in primetime. Turns out that the actor admits to being “Simpsonized” and as such, considered parody which is protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution

The court reportedly also noted that the “Louie” character doesn’t share some of the physical features of Sivero and the voice is even more different, so it’s almost a moot point either way.

The Simpsons returns with all-new episodes on March 11th on FOX, check your local listings.