Summary Of Costanza Vs Seinfeld

Case name and Citation
Costanza v. Seinfeld 181 Misc. 2d 562, 693 N.Y.S.2d 897 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County 1999)
Parties
Michael Costanza, Plaintiff, Jerry Seinfeld, Defendant, Larry David, Defendant, National Broadcasting Company, Defendant, Production companies, Defendant
FACTS
In the case of Costanza v. Seinfeld, 693 N.Y.S.2d 897 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County 1999), the plaintiff Michael Costanza, filed a law suit against the defendants, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, National Broadcasting Company, Inc., and production companies with the allegations that there was the used of his name and likeness without obtaining his permission and invasion of his privacy. The plaintiff alleges that he was portrayed negatively, he was left humiliated and defamation was portrayed by defendant Larry David. Plaintiff states they are different similarities played by the character George Constanza such as (short, bald, fat, knew Seinfeld and are both from Queens). Plaintiff is seeking the amount of $100 million dollars, he claims defendants violated New York’s Civil Rights Law §§ 50 and 51. Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the case for failure to state an actual claim, for exceeding the Statue of Limitations and for filing a frivolous lawsuit.

The ruling was made on the case by the New York State Supreme Court upon frivolous litigation.
Issue
Under the New York’s Civil Rights Law §§ 50 and 51, does the plaintiff have a valid claim for violation of his right to privacy?
Holdings
No. According with the New York’s Civil Rights Law §§ 50 and 51, the law does not and has never allowed a common-law claim for invasion of