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Comedian's Mother-in-Law Sues Over Being Brunt of Jokes
'There is nothing to stop someone from saying, 'I can't stand my mother in law,'' says defense lawyer
New Jersey Law Journal
August 26, 2009
A federal judge in Trenton, N.J., has been asked to order comedian Sunda Croonquist to shut up already with the Jewish mother-in-law jokes.
Ruth Zafrin of Manhattan says in a pending suit that she is being falsely and maliciously tagged as a racist in her daughter-in-law's comedy routines.
Zafrin's daughter and son-in-law, Shelley and Neil Edelman of Marlboro, N.J., also are plaintiffs in the suit, Edelman v. Croonquist, 09-1938, which charges the comedian depicts them in a false light with intent to harm.
Croonquist, of Los Angeles, is married to Zafrin's son Mark. Her mother is black and father is Swedish and many of her routines include exaggerated stories in dialect about her first meeting with her in-laws, the differences between blacks and Jews and being one of the few black students -- "a chocolate chip" -- in a mostly white Catholic school in Paterson, N.J., where she grew up.
Croonquist's lawyer, Denise Buda, says of the plaintiffs, "they don't have a leg to stand on." She is preparing a motion to dismiss the suit on grounds that the comedian is making jokes that no one could take seriously. And, she adds, "there is nothing to stop someone from saying, 'I can't stand my mother in law.'"
On Tuesday, however, Judge Mary Cooper denied a motion to dismiss on procedural grounds.
That means the plaintiffs can pursue an order that Croonquist stop using material that includes a description of Edelman as someone who "speaks like a cat in heat," and a parody of Edelman saying, "Hi, how are you, my name is Shelley Edelman and I'm the president of my temple in Marlboro, New Jersey, neyea," the suit says.
"After caricaturing Mrs. Edelman, Croonquist further identifies Mr. Edelman and characterizes Mrs. Edelman as someone who makes racist remarks, fabricating the following statement she claims were made by Edelman: '... Oh my God, Neil, look at her; she's got light eyes and light hair, what kind of black is she?'"
The suit says Croonquist characterizes Mrs. Zafrin as a racist, claiming she treated her other grandchildren better than the defendant's children, "probably because they're white, they're better in her eyes."
And she made the statement that the plaintiffs used the "n" word. "I'm sure the 'n' word passed through their chapped lips at one point," the suit quotes her as saying.
"Defendant may attempt to claim that her statements about plaintiffs are jokes and no one could believe the statements were made, but the statements she has posted elsewhere, belie that position," the suit says, referring to the entertainer's MySpace pages.
The Edelmans also object to Croonquist mentioning their names and identifying their hometowns and synagogue.
In this intra-family dispute, husband Mark Zafrin is apparently siding with Croonquist. He is a lawyer at Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Greenberg, Formato & Einiger in New York and defense counsel Buda is his partner.
Buda says the Edelman's were in the audience in Los Angeles for a Croonquist performance and not only thought it was humorous, they went to dinner afterward with the comedian.
And she says that the mother-in-law was at another performance and came on the stage afterward and took a bow.
Buda says it appears that the plaintiffs weren't bothered by the routine so much as the entertainer's MySpace postings and Web site, www.sundalive.com.
"Her skits were a parody," says. "My client has been extremely upset. She doesn't want animosity in the family and I don't think the Edelmans' realized she would get all this publicity. It's a good thing for Sunda but it wasn't of her doing."
She says that since the suit was filed Croonquist has omitted references to the name and hometown of the Edelmans, the lawyer says.
The plaintiffs first filed in New Jersey state court in Monmouth County where the Edelmans live. The defense removed it to federal court and filed a motion to dismiss but Cooper ruled on Tuesday that the motion was premature.
The plaintiffs lawyer, Lawrence Wertheim at Himelman, Wertheim & Geller in Old Bridge, N.J., did not return a call.
