The Emmy-winning composer was fired from the show after 27 years, having written musical scores for more than 560 episodes.
According to the lawsuit, Clausen was told that the show was taking the music in a “different direction”. It continues, “This reason was pretextual and false. Instead, Plaintiff’s unlawful termination was due to perceived disability and age.”
Along with Fox, Disney and James L. Brooks’ Gracie Films are also listen as defendants.
The 78-year-old has been nominated for 23 Emmy awards and won twice for “We Put The Spring in Springfield” in 1997 and “You’re Checkin’ In (A Musical Tribute To The Betty Ford Center)” in 1998.
After he was let go, Clausen was replaced by Bleeding Fingers Music, a music production company co-founded by Russell Emanuel, Hans Zimmer and Steve Kofsky.
The suit states that Clausen’s replacement “was substantially younger in age, who was not only paid less, but was not disabled.”
After news surfaced of Clausen’s firing from the show, producers released a statement claiming that Clausen “will continue to have an ongoing role in the show.” They added, “We remain committed to the finest in music for ‘The Simpsons,’ absolutely including orchestral. This is the part where we would make a joke but neither Alf’s work nor the music of ‘The Simpsons’ is treated as anything but seriously by us.”
Revisit the circumstances behind Clausen’s initial firing here.
