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CA High Court Sides With 'Friends' Writers
Script writers for both television sitcoms and dramas have been given the license to be as raunchy as they like during the creative process ' as long as their raw talk doesn't single out specific people as the butt of the jokes. In a case that put the entertainment and publishing industries on edge ' and had some Hollywood honchos speaking out ' the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that sexually coarse and vulgar language is often a necessary part of the creative process when producing a hit TV show. Lyle v. Warner Brothers Television Productions, S125171.
The case involved alleged harassment by writers for the award-winning sitcom 'Friends,' and the decision, authored by Justice Marvin Baxter, held that crass brainstorming ' complete with foul words and lewd sexual simulations ' crosses the line only if it targets a person because of his or her sex or is severe enough to create a hostile work environment.
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