THE SOPRANOS - THE SOPRANOS BOSS WINS COURT BATTLE

LATEST: THE SOPRANOS creator DAVID CHASE has won his court battle with a former New Jersey judge who claimed he helped the writer research the show. Robert Baer alleges he spent three days with Chase in 1995, taking him to mob sites and introducing him to people with connections to organised crime. He claims his help enabled Chase to write the show's pilot; that he declined a fee, asking that Chase compensate him if The Sopranos became a hit. Chase disputed the claim, insisting Baer was a wannabe writer and that the pair merely exchanged favours. And the eight-person jury in Trenton, New Jersey, ruled on Wednesday (19Dec07) that Baer deserved credit for his assistance, but no financial compensation. After the verdict, Chase said, "This was like a fly buzzing in my bathroom for seven years and we finally swatted it. (Baer) tried to be a writer, and he failed, and he took it out on me." But Baer is claiming a share of the victory, and believes the verdict could have been different if jurors were better informed. He told reporters, "I feel partially vindicated. They didn't know what all of those services were, and if they had seen it, the would have had a different view of it."