Judge sees ruling soon in Seinfeld cookbook case
NEW YORK -- A judge said Friday she expected to rule soon on a cookbook author's claim that Jerry Seinfeld's wife was a culinary copycat.
Lawyers for the comedian and his wife, Jessica, want a federal court to toss out cookbook author Missy Chase Lapine's lawsuit against the couple.
The suit claims Jessica Seinfeld stole ideas for her cookbook "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food" from Lapine's book "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals."
The Seinfelds were not in court Friday; they have denied Lapine's claim. Lawyer Orin Synder argued Friday that Lapine's ideas were "painfully obvious and common."
The couple's lawyers say Jerry Seinfeld should not be blamed for making jokes about the dispute last year on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman." Lapine has said her 7-year-old daughter was upset by the comedian's crack that people with three names turned out to be assassins, such as James Earl Ray and Mark David Chapman.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain questioned whether everything said on late-night shows is meant to be funny. She noted that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy for the office on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
Lapine is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for copyright and trademark infringement.
Both best-selling cookbooks offer ways to induce children to eat nutritious vegetables by hiding them in traditional recipes.