Ozzy Osbourne Case Dismissed

A lawsuit claiming rock singer Ozzy Osbourne’s song “Suicide Solution” drove an Indio teen-ager to kill himself was dismissed today by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John L. Cole, who said the suit “reads more like a novel than a legal pleading.”

Cole rejected parent Jack McCollum’s assertions that allegedly hidden lyrics in the song urging listeners to “Get the gun, shoot, shoot, shoot” removed the constitutional protections accorded an artist. “We have to look very closely at the First Amendment and the chilling effect that would be had if these words were held to be accountable,” the judge said. Family lawyer Thomas Anderson said he will appeal the dismissal.