Jerry Seinfeld "wacko" case dismissed

Jerry Seinfield has seen a lawsuit launched by a chef he branded as "wacko" thrown out of court.

Missy Chase Lapine sued the sitcom star over comments he made in a David Letterman interview about the cook's former legal challenge against his wife, claiming that the taunts had ruined her reputation.

Chase Lapine had alleged that significant parts of her book The Sneaky Chef were "brazenly plagiarised" by Jessica Seinfeld for her own collection Deceptively Delicious. The case was dismissed in 2009 and a subsequent appeal was rejected the following year.

Contactmusic reports that Chase Lapine's case against the 56-year-old funnyman has now also been dismissed by Justice Mercy Friedman, who ruled on Friday that Seinfield's comments had clearly been of a comedic nature.

A lawyer for Seinfeld said: "[The] decision is a complete victory for Jerry - and also a victory for the First Amendment and the right of comedians to tell jokes.

"The decision also vindicates [publishers] HarperCollins and Jessica Seinfeld yet again, confirming what the two different federal courts have already ruled: Jessica independently created her bestselling book Deceptively Delicious."