johnnymk

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TRENTON — Closing arguments started today in a trial over whether "Sopranos'' creator David Chase owes a New Jersey man money for his help in developing the show.

A federal jury of seven women and one man will determine whether services a former municipal court judge provided should be compensated, and if so, how much.

The defense wrapped up its case on Tuesday, with the soft-spoken Chase testifying that he "felt like crying'' when he heard he had been sued by Robert Baer, who aspired to be a writer.

Baer claims he provided help ? arranging meetings with police and prosecutors during a three-day tour of New Jersey mob sites in 1995 and subsequent conversations ? that sparked ideas for what became the hit HBO mob drama.

Both Chase and Baer testified that Baer declined Chase's offer of payment three
times. Baer said Chase agreed to "take care of him'' if the show was a hit. Chase never offered him a writing job on the show.

Chase testified Tuesday he tried to pay Baer because he was unemployed, having recently left his job as an assistant prosecutor and he understood the difficulty of breaking into the screenwriting business.

But it wasn't the practice in the television industry to pay consultants for their help during the writing of a pilot.

In court filings, Chase called Baer's claims "grossly distorted, petulant and self-aggrandizing'' and said that Baer provided a "modest service'' by arranging to introduce him to individuals who were experienced in certain facets of organized crime.