Winnetka Native Sues Conan O'Brien; Says Comedian Stole His Jokes

Winnetka native and freelance comedy writer Alex Kaseberg is claiming Conan O’Brien stole his jokes in a recently filed lawsuit.

Kaseberg - a 1976 graduate of New Trier High School and longtime comedy contributor on TV and in print - says the famous late-night comedian used four of his jokes or variations of them in monologues after they had been posted on his blog and Twitter account, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“A Delta flight this week took off from Cleveland to New York with just two passengers. And they fought over control of the armrest the entire flight.”

That’s what is claimed to have been posted to Kaseberg’s blog on January 14, but the similar one-liner “On Monday, a Delta flight from Cleveland to New York took off with just 2 passengers. Yet somehow, they spent the whole flight fighting over the armrest” is attributed to O’Brien on his show’s Team Coco website.

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Other jokes mentioned in the suit - which names O’Brien, his company Conaco, TBS, Time Warner and two “Conan” staff members - were regarding New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s Super Bowl win, Caitlyn Jenner’s transition and the Washington Monument suffering from “shrinkage” in the winter.

Kaseberg, now a resident of San Diego, filed the lawsuit in California federal court and seeks $600,000 and a jury trial. An attorney for him said Conan’s team was “not responsive” to their requests to discuss the matter before the lawsuit.

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A “Conan” spokesman said O’Brien’s team “firmly believes there is no merit to this lawsuit.”

more via the Chicago Tribune