Capone Family’s Lawsuit Over Mini-Series
In 1959, a two-part series chronicling the life of Al Capone was released, resulting in substantial distress for his surviving family members and associates. The series not only intruded upon their private lives but resurrected troubling subjects they had been eager to move past. For example, Sonny Capone was forced to relocate his children to a different school due to the series subjecting them to ridicule so they could no longer continue their “normal” school activities.
Due to the humiliation, shame, and emotional distress endured as a consequence of the series, Mae Capone, Capone’s sister Mafalda, and Sonny Capone collectively filed a lawsuit against the networks, seeking $6 million in compensation for the damages they suffered with the release of the series. The case eventually went to the Supreme Court. Still, the judges ruled against the family, denying them any financial restitution for the emotional toll the series had exacted on their lives.
