De Havilland’s lawyer Suzelle Smith called the ruling an “entirely pro-industry decision” that she and De Havilland plan to appeal.
The judges wholeheartedly agreed, finding that no reasonable person would find her characterization offensive, and in fact most would find it positive.
The judges said that her character’s “lighthearted” crack about Sinatra only showed that she was a “wise, witty, sometimes playful woman”.
“Nor does she or he have the legal right to control, dictate, approve, disapprove, or veto the creator’s portrayal of actual people.”