The Simpsons’ Composer’s Discrimination Lawsuit Moves Forward

The Simpsons is preparing to reach new audiences on Disney+, but that’s not the only news the long-running Fox show is generating. Legal tensions between the show’s producers and the show’s longtime composer, Alf Clausen, are also drawing attention. 

Simpsons Composer Files Discrimination Lawsuit Against Popular Fox Show:

LA County Judge Michael L. Stern issued an order allowing The Simpsons composer to move forward with his discrimination lawsuit against the show’s producers. 

Hollywood Music Giant Files Discrimination Suit Against The Simpsons Producers:

Alf Clausen, the 79-year-old Hollywood music giant, handled the music for the popular Fox show from 1990 until he was fired in 2017. Clausen won two Emmys and is the most nominated composer in Emmy history with a record 23 Emmy nominations during his career. Before his work on The Simpsons, Clausen composed for a number of different tv shows: The Donny & Marie Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Hour, Little House on the Prairie, Fame, and Moonlighting. He also worked on a number of successful feature films like Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Naked Gun, and Mr. Mom. 

Identifying the Cause of Termination: Why Was Clausen Fired? 

The litigation regarding Clausen’s termination is based on why he was fired. Clausen claims wrongful termination based on age discrimination and disability discrimination (he’s diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease) in his lawsuit. Clausen also claims he is the victim of intentional infliction of emotional distress. In contrast, The Simpsons producers claim that their decision to fire Clausen was not related to his age or disability. They claim they fired Clausen because of deficiencies as a composer. The defendants insist that Clausen was delegating composition to his team inappropriately. They also claim he wasn’t able to capture their vision for certain types of music. 

Moving to Strike the Complaint at an Early Phase of Litigation:  

The defendants, Fox, Disney+, etc. argued that the lawsuit was Clausen’s frivolous attempt to infringe on their right to free speech. As such, they argued that they had a statutory right under California’s Anti-SLAPP statute to move to strike at an early phase of litigation. Judge Stern considered the defendant’s argument and found that the plaintiff, Clausen, met his burden of proof for disability discrimination and wrongful termination claims, but not for age discrimination or intentional infliction of emotional distress claims. In doing so, Judge Stern allowed Clausen’s case to move forward to the discovery process. 

If you need to talk about employment law violations, or if you need to file a California wrongful termination lawsuit, we can help. Get in contact with Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Experienced employment law attorneys are ready to assist you in any one of various law firm offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.