Ruth Zafrin of Brooklyn is tired of being the subject of one-liners and humor delivered on stage by her daughter-in-law, comedian Sunda Croonquist, and has sued her for defamation, joined as plaintiffs in the suit by a daughter and son-in-law who also figure in the comedy routines. Croomquist’s husband Mark Zafrin is an attorney and his law firm is defending his wife against the suit, perhaps making for tense conversation at family dinners. [New York Post, New Jersey Law Journal, WSJ Law Blog.]
3 Comments
Has it occurred to anyone else that Sandra Croonquist’s mother-in-law suing her for those mother-in-law jokes may be nothing more than a publicity stunt on Ms. Croonquist’s behalf? It certainly has generated a lot of publicity for her and her comedy act.
I would think that a comedian cannot be sued for defamation.
() A comedy act is by definition a collection of statements that are not proposed to be true, only witty. No reasonable person would treat any comedy statement as true.
() But, the lawsuit itself implies that some of the statements are true. The lawsuit self-defames the plaintiffs. Ironically, they cannot claim defamation from true statements.
If Sandra needs a replacement Mother in Law for new material, she is welcome to mine!