Judge Rules That Suit Against ‘Law & Order’ Creator May Continue - New York Times

Judge Rules That Suit Against ‘Law & Order’ Creator May Continue - New York Times: "Ravi Batra, a Manhattan lawyer, filed a lawsuit in 2004 against Dick Wolf, the creator of the television series, arguing that the plot of a November 2003 episode defamed him by including an unsavory character, Ravi Patel, who was modeled on him. In a decision made public on Wednesday, Justice Marilyn Shafer of State Supreme Court in Manhattan rejected a motion by Mr. Wolf’s lawyers to dismiss the lawsuit.

Mr. Batra, who was born in India and is active in Brooklyn politics, entered the spotlight after the April 2003 arrest of Gerald P. Garson, a justice in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn who was charged with granting a divorce lawyer, Paul Siminovsky, preferential treatment in exchange for vacations, dinners and gifts.

It emerged that Justice Garson had agreed to wear a wire to gather evidence that a seat on the bench could be purchased with bribes to Assemblyman Clarence Norman Jr., who was the Brooklyn Democratic leader. Mr. Norman was subsequently convicted of other charges: extortion, soliciting illegal contributions from a lobbyist and stealing $5,000 from his re-election committee. Mr. Garson was convicted on charges of accepting bribes and official misconduct. Both men went to prison.

Mr. Batra was not charged with anythin"