The Simpsons lawsuit moves forward with twist
The Simpsons lawsuit has moved forward with a surprising twist.
Alf Clausen is a former composer of the cartoon series, which originally aired on Fox and is now available to watch on Disney+.
He was dismissed by Fox in 2019 and filed a lawsuit in August last year against the studio and the producers of The Simpsons, claiming he was fired unfairly.
In an order made public on Monday (August 24), an LA judge made the decision to take the case forward on the grounds of a disability claim, while rejecting an age bias claim.
Clausen was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease in 2013, informing others of his condition three years later.
Related: The Simpsons writer responds to "gross" and "terrible" coronavirus joke
Fox maintains that the reason it fired Clausen was because Simpsons producers learned he was outsourcing work to his son and others, amid other concerns about Clausen's continued fit for the role — with music, including hip-hop, being incorporated into the show.
Clausen responded with the claim Fox knew he regularly delegated his work, describing Fox's reasoning as pre-textual.
In the lawsuit, Clausen alleges Simpsons producers made no attempt to accommodate him.
The suit also includes an account given by Clausen's son, which claims a Fox executive said: "What’s going on with your dad? Now’s not the time to piss off the producers."
Related: The Simpsons boss reveals title of milestone 700th episode
Clausen reportedly can't make the case for age discrimination, but the judge says he's sees a likelihood he could prevail on a disability claim.
The case follows a Simpsons writer responding to a "gross" and "terrible" coronavirus joke.
The Simpsons is now available to watch on Disney+ in the US and the UK.
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