The legal battle between Alf Clausen and Fox over his departure as the show’s principal musical composer has ended, with two courts issuing dismissals as a result of a settlement.
The legal struggle between Fox and longtime Simpsons composer Alf Clausen over his 2017 layoff is now finished, but that doesn’t mean Clausen is whistling a joyful tune. Clausen filed a lawsuit against Fox in 2019, stating that he was fired because of his age. The composer, now 80, had been a part of the series for three decades, winning two Emmys and being nominated for a dozen more. He later amended his complaint to include claims that the network failed to accommodate his Parkinson’s disease-related limitations and that he was fired immediately after reporting the diagnosis.
Fox and long-time ‘Simpsons’ composer reached agreement regarding composer’s dismissal
The Hollywood Reporter quotes Clausen’s lawyer, Ebby Bakhtiar, as saying that his client’s “battle for justice was dodged by what I perceive to be a very conservative panel of the appellate court.” Fox filed an anti-SLAPP action in April 2020, claiming that its decision to fire Clausen stemmed from its free expression rights in connection with musical components of the show, and that it had reasonable reasons for doing so, including learning that he was outsourcing work to others. Clausen responded by calling the arguments “lies and deception.”
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The anti-SLAPP Act in California aims to prevent frivolous litigation emerging from protected conduct, such as acts in support of a person’s right to petition or free speech in connection with a public issue. A discovery stay in the dispute is triggered by the filing of such a move, and the statute contains the right to an urgent appeal of the decision. A defendant is entitled to collect associated attorneys’ fees and costs if the court grants the application (with limited exception).
