‘Sopranos’ suit OK’d on appeal

A U.S. appeals panel says a former New Jersey prosecutor who claims he proposed the idea for the HBO television series “The Sopranos” can go to trial with his lawsuit against producer David Chase.

The U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled 2 to 1 this week that U.S. District Judge Joel Pisano erred last year when he said Robert Baer’s suit was filed too late.

Baer claims he met Chase in a restaurant in Santa Monica in 1995 and suggested a “mob-oriented show.” Chase followed up with a three-day crash course from Baer on organized crime, according to the suit filed in 2002. “The Sopranos” debuted in 1999.

Baer says Chase never paid him for the idea as promised. He is seeking unspecified damages from the producer.