Jewish mother-in-law sues comedian after one too many jokes
Sunda Croonquist is half-black, half-Swedish, Roman Catholic by birth and a convert to Judaism. She is also a comedian who – until recently – joked about the craziness of her Jewish mother-in-law in night clubs around the country and on Comedy Central. But not anymore.
Recently, Sunda’s mother-in-law decided that enough was enough. So she sued her daughter-in-law for spreading allegedly false, defamatory and racist lies about her. Sunda’s attorney has filed a motion to dismiss the law suit.
The Associated Press quotes First Amendment Law attorney Gary L. Bostwick, who says that “suing a comedian is often difficult because courts tend to rule that it should be obvious they are joking.” However, Sunda says her stories are real – “these are not mother-in-law jokes. You can’t make this up” she tells her audience.
Here’s a clip of Sunda’s mother-in-law routine.
What do you think? Offensive or funny (or both)? Would you dismiss the case if you were the judge? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Filed Under: What's Nu?
Sued by her mother in law?!! Check out what the people think about it in the community court of AllRise http://bit.ly/AllRise245
Yes. Yes. Hmmm. Sunda’s routine plays off stereotypes of both Jews and mothers-in-law. This hearkens back to the old-style comedy (see Henny Youngman, Milton Berle) of guys telling mean-spirited but often killingly funny jokes about their wives. Some folks think marrying into the family gives a free pass. As far as the lawsuit, not a simple case: think about intent (comedy or personal harm), private persons and public figures and the use of blogs along with performances. Sad to see: the lawsuit has obviously magnified the family’s conflict and exposure.