Frank Sivero demands $250 million worth of damages in a lawsuit he filed against Fox Television Studios and "The Simpsons" writer Matt Groening Tuesday, allegedly for stealing his ideas to create a Springfield mafia sidekick character, Mail Online reported.
Sivero claimed in the lawsuit that he developed "Frankie Carbone" for the 1990 Scorsese mobster drama, "Goodfellas," from which Groening is said to have based the "Simpsons" character.
Back then, Sivero was neighbors with Groening while he was preparing for his "Goodfellas" role. At the turn of the year, "The Simpsons" introduced Louie, whose looks and mannerisms highly resembled the character actor.
Louie has had recurring appearances in the series as a henchman for Fat Tony, the head of the organized crime organization in Springfield, Aceshowbiz noted.
Over the years, "The Simpsons" has been noted for basing characters on other television series or real-life people. In the case of Louie, "The Simpsons" did not mention anything about "Goodfellas" or Sivero's character, Frank Carbone.
Sivero claimed in his complaint that the long-running animated series has made $12 billion over the years from TV, movies, video games, and other revenue streams.
He also alleges that James L. Brooks, producer of the series, was "highly aware of who Sivero was, the fact that he created the role of Frankie Carbone, and that The Simpsons character Louie would be based on this character," as per a report in Deadline Hollywood.
In their 12-page complaint, Sivero and his lawyers discussed the details of their suit. These include $50 million in damages for loss of his likeness, another $50 million in actual loss for "improper appropriation of Plaintiff's confidential idea," $50 million more in exemplary damages and $100 million for "improper interference."
Sivero claimed a loss of "prospective economic advantage" and industry "type-casting." He claimed he should have a "portion" of the profits from the franchise, especially because Fox itself promised him a film of his own.