Lionel Hutz

Lionel Hutz
Gender/Sex
Status
AKA	Miguel Sanchez or Dr. Nguyen Van Phuoc
Hair Color	Brown Black (in rare instances)
Occupation	Lawyer Realtor Estate Executor Shoe Repairer
Relations	Ex-Wife: Selma Bouvier Ex Parents-in-Law: Clancy Bouvier (Deceased) and Jacqueline Bouvier Ex Siblings-in-Law: Patty Bouvier, Marge Simpson, Arthur (Deceased) and Hortense (Possibly; Deceased) Ex Nieces/Nephew: Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson, and Maggie Simpson
First episode appearance	"Bart Gets Hit by a Car"
Portrayed by	Phil Hartman † (1991-1997)

"HEY, YOU! GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

―Hutz angry at Homer for tipping and being in a phone booth.

"Mr. Simpson, this is the most blatant case of fraudulent advertising since my suit against the movie, The Neverending Story!"

―Hutz proudly to Homer after he tells him his story about the "all-you-can-eat" seafood

"You're one of a kind, Marge, and nobody deserves this more than you."

―Hutz's final onscreen dialogue

Lionel Hutz, also known as Miguel Sanchez, and also known as Dr. Nguyen Van Phuoc, is a lawyer in Springfield, albeit an incompetent one, and removed from the state bar association. He was always desperate for cases, few of which he won. Hutz was financially insolvent, extremely poor and willing to do nearly anything for money. The character of Lionel Hutz, along with other Phil Hartman characters, was retired after the actor's death.

Character

He was an inept ambulance chaser and, to quote Lisa, a "shyster", whom the Simpsons nonetheless repeatedly hired as their lawyer (a fact remarked on by Marge in a typically self-aware aside) probably because they could not afford a better lawyer anyway. He claimed to have graduated from Princeton school of law, although Princeton hasn't had a law school since the mid-19th century. His legal practice, located in a shopping mall, was named "I Can't Believe It's A Law Firm!", ironically not an allowed name for a law firm, suggesting that he is not, in fact, a law firm. He often tried to entice potential clients with free gifts, including a "smoking monkey" doll and a business card that "turns into a sponge when you put it in water." Lionel Hutz was an occasional person to appear in The Simpsons' lives and sometimes played central roles in events involving them. Marge distrusted Lionel Hutz because he was an incompetent lawyer, even remarking once during a trial "We really should stop hiring him." This mistrust worked its way to Hutz's rival known as the Blue-Haired Lawyer who is also aware of his incompetence and greed. During cross-examination, Marge testified against Hutz out of spite because he hired Dr. Riviera, a quack to give out false prognosis and made Bart commit perjury by lying about being in intensive pain when he was fine. Hutz was also briefly married to Selma Bouvier, as when Homer asks her to marry Apu for his citizenship, she says her name with 3 husband names added (Terwilliger, Hutz, McClure) and was long enough without Apu's long surname.

Hutz is also very greedy and dishonorable shown by how he resorts to any means necessary to make money as well as making attempts to avoid punishments which was shown in "Selma's Choice", where he attempted forgery by editing Gladys' will but he was caught by Marge where he then casually admits to forging other people's wills and has been successful (forgery is in fact a very serious crime that can result in 5 years in prison as well as receiving a fine that can range between $250 to $125,000 depending on the seriousness of the crime). Hutz also destroyed his possessions in an attempt to change his identity. Hutz is a cowardly hack, that will gladly commit fraud, bribery, and fabrication in order to gain money.

Disabilities

Hutz was a recovering alcoholic; also, at one time he hastily left the courtroom after handling a bottle of bourbon in order to consult his A.A. sponsor, musician David Crosby. Also, Hutz referred to bourbon as "brownest of the brown liquors" and offered to share with Marge and Homer "a belt of scotch" at 9:30AM, explaining that he "hadn't slept in days."

Jobs Outside of Law

Beyond the law, he also tried his hand at selling real estate. When Homer hired him to babysit the Simpson children, he renamed himself Miguel Sanchez following some trouble that prompted him to change his identity and burn all his personal papers, and he later changed again to Dr. Nguyen Van Phuoc, a Vietnamese name, in addition to Mr. Sanchez. He also won the role as 'Mitch' in the musical adaption of 'A Street Car Named Desire', whilst simultaneously suing the troupe on behalf of the people who were not cast. He may also be a drug dealer, as when Milhouse lands the role of Fallout Boy, Hutz barged up to him and one of the services offered was "drug deal- errrrrr.... keeper awayer". He also owns Red Blazer Realty, which employs Cookie Kwan "Number 1 on the West Side!", Gil Gunderson (Shelley Levene from 'Glengarry Glen Ross'; as played by Jack Lemmon), and at one point, Marge. As well, he's been shown to take part-time work as a cobbler, fixing up shoes in his clients' presence and even in court ("Uh, Judge, these won't be ready until Thursday...)

Cases won

Hutz law firm I Can't Believe It's A Law Firm!‎.

Although Hutz lost almost all of his cases, he did win several cases for the Simpsons, for instance representing Homer in his case against Captain McCallister and The Frying Dutchman restaurant over its "All You Can Eat" offer. While the Blue-haired Lawyer tried to show that Homer's eating was far beyond what could reasonably be expected out of an all-you-can-eat offer, Hutz won by putting Marge on the stand and having her reveal the desperate actions she and Homer took after they were kicked out of the restaurant. At Hutz's urging, Marge tearfully admitted that after searching for another All You Can Eat fish restaurant until 3AM, Homer and Marge "went fishing." Considering Marge's honest nature, it is unlikely that she was lying. The case was helped by the fact that the entire jury was made up of obese jurors. Captain McCallister then struck a deal with Homer, offering him all he could eat in exchange for using him as a sort of freak show attraction to get more customers.

Another case he won for one of the Simpsons was when Bart discovered that an old tramp named Chester Lampwick was the real creator of The Itchy & Scratchy Show, which was proved by an old drawing by Lampwick. Roger Myers (who had falsely claimed credit for the creation) then had to pay him $800 billion, which forced the Itchy & Scratchy Studios to temporarily close down. Although none of this had anything to do with Hutz's skills as a lawyer.

Hutz also successfully sued Krusty after Bart got appendicitis after eating a piece of jagged metal that was being given away as a prize in his cereal that wasn't even in the safety package all prizes are held in. The case was won, and Bart was given $100,000 in compensation. $99,500 of which was taken by Hutz who'd assembled a team of phony lawyers to make it seem to Bart that it was necessary.

Clients

This article or section is incomplete. Please improve the article, or discuss the issue on the talk page.

The following is a list of people whom Lionel Hutz has represented and/or defended in court.

• Bart Simpson
• Homer Simpson
• Marge Simpson
• Aunt Gladys

Non-Canon

The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened/existed.

Hutz additionally represented Homer against the Devil (Ned Flanders). At issue was the rightful owner of Homer Simpson's soul. In a hastily assembled courtroom in the Simpsons' living room, before a jury of the damned, Hutz discussed competently the nature of a contract, although his argument ironically was harmful to Homer. Despite the fact that the contract between Homer and the Devil clearly awarded Homer's soul to the Devil upon Homer's consumption of the 'forbidden doughnut', the jury found a note from Homer to Marge saying that he pledged his soul to her for all eternity thus his soul was not to rightfully give up to the Devil causing them rule in favor of Homer. In retribution for losing the court case, Homer was cursed by the Devil and his head was turned into a giant doughnut. The case was not won so much for Hutz's skill as an attorney, but by Marge's introduction of the relevant evidence (the photo with a note from Homer on the back, granting his soul to Marge).

In The Simpsons: Hit and Run, there are signs on the Matlock Expressway that advertise the Lionel Hutz Law Firm, which also says, "30-minute settlements, or your pizza is Free!".

Behind the Laughter

Retirement

The character was retired after Phil Hartman's murder in 1998, as well as his other main character Troy McClure. Hutz made his final speaking appearance in Season 9 episode "Realty Bites".

Since the Simpson family frequently appears in court, other characters have represented the Simpsons in legal matters since the retirement, ranging from just as incompetent to actually knowing what they're doing. For example, in "Sweets and Sour Marge", the equally-incompetent Gil stepped in. The Blue-Haired Lawyer has also served as the family's attorney, such as in episodes like "Orange is the New Yellow".

Lionel Hutz still appears infrequently in clip shows and flashbacks, as well as crowd scenes, but only in non-speaking roles. Not counting a cameo in the 750 Characters couch gag in Season 34 finale "Homer's Adventures Through the Windshield Glass" (where other retired characters like McClure Edna Krabappel can be spotted), Hutz' last reported appearance was in the Season 27 episode "The Burns Cage"^{[citation needed]}). Hutz and McClure still sometimes appear in Simpsons Comics, as a voice actor is not needed.

Appearances

• Episode – "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" (Debut)
• Episode – "Old Money"
• Episode – "When Flanders Failed"
• Episode – "Bart the Murderer"
• Episode – "Flaming Moe's"
• Episode – "A Streetcar Named Marge"
• Episode – "Marge Gets a Job"
• Episode – "New Kid on the Block"
• Episode – "Selma's Choice"
• Episode – "Duffless"
• Episode – "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show"
• Episode – "Marge in Chains"
• Episode – "Rosebud"
• THOH – "Treehouse of Horror IV" ("The Devil and Homer Simpson")
• Episode – "Marge on the Lam"
• Episode – "Bart's Inner Child"
• Episode – "The Last Temptation of Homer"
• Episode – "Homer the Vigilante"
• Episode – "The Boy Who Knew Too Much"
• Episode – "Burns' Heir"
• Episode – "Secrets of a Successful Marriage"
• Episode – "Sideshow Bob Roberts"
• Episode – "Bart's Girlfriend"
• Episode – "Bart's Comet"
• Episode – "'Round Springfield"
• Episode – "The Springfield Connection"
• Episode – "Radioactive Man"
• Episode – "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"
• Episode – "Lisa the Iconoclast"
• Episode – "The Day the Violence Died"
• Episode – "22 Short Films About Springfield"
• Episode – "Much Apu About Nothing"
• Episode – "Burns, Baby Burns"
• Episode – "Bart After Dark"
• Episode – "Hurricane Neddy"
• Episode – "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show"
• Episode – "Brother from Another Series"
• Episode – "My Sister, My Sitter"
• Episode – "Grade School Confidential"
• Episode – "In Marge We Trust"
• Episode – "The Principal and the Pauper"
• Episode – "Lisa the Skeptic"
• Episode – "Realty Bites" (final speaking appearance)
• Episode – "Trash of the Titans"
• Episode – "The Trouble with Trillions"
• Episode – "Lost Our Lisa" (non-speaking)
• Episode – "The Joy of Sect"
• Episode – "When You Dish Upon A Star" (non-speaking)
• Episode – "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo" (non-speaking; seen at seminar)
• Episode – "A Tale of Two Springfields" (non-speaking)
• Episode – "Gump Roast"
• Episode – "The Strong Arms of the Ma"
• Episode – "I'm Spelling As Fast As I Can"
• Episode – "Moe Baby Blues"
• Episode – "A Star Is Torn"
• Episode – "See Homer Run"
• Episode – "Rome-Old and Julie-Eh" (mentioned)
• – The Simpsons Movie (cameo)
• Episode – "Four Regrettings and a Funeral" (non-speaking)
• Episode – "White Christmas Blues" (non-speaking)
• Episode – "Brick Like Me" (non-speaking)
• Episode – "My Fare Lady" (non-speaking; opening)
• Comic book – The Amazing Colossal Homer (non-speaking)

The Simpsons: Season Two
"Bart Gets an "F"":	"Simpson and Delilah":	"Treehouse of Horror":	"Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish":	"Dancin' Homer":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Dead Putting Society":	"Bart vs. Thanksgiving":	"Bart the Daredevil":	"Itchy & Scratchy & Marge":	"Bart Gets Hit by a Car":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Major
"One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish":	"The Way We Was":	"Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment":	"Principal Charming":	"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Bart's Dog Gets an F":	"Old Money":	"Brush with Greatness":	"Lisa's Substitute":	"The War of the Simpsons":
Absent	Minor	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Three Men and a Comic Book":	"Blood Feud":
Absent	Absent

The Simpsons: Season Three
"Stark Raving Dad":	"Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington":	"When Flanders Failed":	"Bart the Murderer":	"Homer Defined":
Absent	Absent	Cameo	Minor	Absent
"Like Father, Like Clown":	"Treehouse of Horror II":	"Lisa's Pony":	"Saturdays of Thunder":	"Flaming Moe's":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Minor
"Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk":	"I Married Marge":	"Radio Bart":	"Lisa the Greek":	"Homer Alone":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Bart the Lover":	"Homer at the Bat":	"Separate Vocations":	"Dog of Death":	"Colonel Homer":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Black Widower":	"The Otto Show":	"Bart's Friend Falls in Love":	"Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent

The Simpsons: Season Four
"Kamp Krusty":	"A Streetcar Named Marge":	"Homer the Heretic":	"Lisa the Beauty Queen":	"Treehouse of Horror III":
Absent	Minor	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie":	"Marge Gets a Job":	"New Kid on the Block":	"Mr. Plow":	"Lisa's First Word":
Cameo	Minor	Minor	Absent	Absent
"Homer's Triple Bypass":	"Marge vs. the Monorail":	"Selma's Choice":	"Brother from the Same Planet":	"I Love Lisa":
Absent	Cameo	Minor	Absent	Absent
"Duffless":	"Last Exit to Springfield":	"So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show":	"The Front":	"Whacking Day":
Minor	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Marge in Chains":	"Krusty Gets Kancelled":
Major	Absent

The Simpsons: Season Five
"Homer's Barbershop Quartet":	"Cape Feare":	"Homer Goes to College":	"Rosebud":	"Treehouse of Horror IV":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Cameo	Minor
"Marge on the Lam":	"Bart's Inner Child":	"Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood":	"The Last Temptation of Homer":	"$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)":
Major	Absent	Absent	Minor	Cameo
"Homer the Vigilante":	"Bart Gets Famous":	"Homer and Apu":	"Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy":	"Deep Space Homer":
Cameo	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Homer Loves Flanders":	"Bart Gets an Elephant":	"Burns' Heir":	"Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song":	"The Boy Who Knew Too Much":
Absent	Absent	Minor	Absent	Minor
"Lady Bouvier's Lover":	"Secrets of a Successful Marriage":
Absent	Minor

The Simpsons: Season Six
"Bart of Darkness":	"Lisa's Rival":	"Another Simpsons Clip Show":	"Itchy & Scratchy Land":	"Sideshow Bob Roberts":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Minor
"Treehouse of Horror V":	"Bart's Girlfriend":	"Lisa on Ice":	"Homer Badman":	"Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy":
Absent	Cameo	Absent	Absent	Cameo
"Fear of Flying":	"Homer the Great":	"And Maggie Makes Three":	"Bart's Comet":	"Homie the Clown":
Absent	Cameo	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Bart vs. Australia":	"Homer vs. Patty and Selma":	"A Star is Burns":	"Lisa's Wedding":	"Two Dozen and One Greyhounds":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"The PTA Disbands":	"'Round Springfield":	"The Springfield Connection":	"Lemon of Troy":	"Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)":
Absent	Minor	Minor	Absent	Absent

The Simpsons: Season Seven
"Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)":	"Radioactive Man":	"Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily":	"Bart Sells His Soul":	"Lisa the Vegetarian":
Absent	Minor	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Treehouse of Horror VI":	"King-Size Homer":	"Mother Simpson":	"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming":	"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Marge Be Not Proud":	"Team Homer":	"Two Bad Neighbors":	"Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield":	"Bart the Fink":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Lisa The Iconoclast":	"Homer The Smithers":	"The Day The Violence Died":	"A Fish Called Selma":	"Bart on the Road":
Absent	Absent	Major	Absent	Absent
"22 Short Films About Springfield":	"Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"":	"Much Apu About Nothing":	"Homerpalooza":	"Summer of 4 Ft. 2":
Minor	Absent	Cameo	Absent	Absent

The Simpsons: Season Nine
"The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson":	"The Principal and the Pauper":	"Lisa's Sax":	"Treehouse of Horror VIII":	"The Cartridge Family":
Absent	Cameo	Absent	Cameo	Absent
"Bart Star":	"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons":	"Lisa the Skeptic":	"Realty Bites":	"Miracle on Evergreen Terrace":
Absent	Absent	Minor	Major	Absent
"All Singing, All Dancing":	"Bart Carny":	"The Joy of Sect":	"Das Bus":	"The Last Temptation of Krust":
Absent	Absent	Cameo	Absent	Absent
"Dumbbell Indemnity":	"Lisa the Simpson":	"This Little Wiggy":	"Simpson Tide":	"The Trouble with Trillions":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Cameo
"Girly Edition":	"Trash of the Titans":	"King of the Hill":	"Lost Our Lisa":	"Natural Born Kissers":
Absent	Cameo	Absent	Cameo	Absent

Gallery

2nd official image of him

Mr. Hutz's first appearance Bart Gets Hit by a Car

Mr. Hutz and Dr. Nick

Mr. Hutz was a recovering alcoholic.

"Geuh! HAAA! WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"H-Hey, this isn't the YMCA."

"What color tie am I wearing?"

"I'm not wearing a tie at all" Mr. Hutz in Marge in Chains

"Can you imagine a world without lawyers?"

Mr. Hutz scolds at Marge for the damages of the Murder House.

Season 14 cameo

Mr. Hutz in The Simpsons Movie Cameo

Mr. Hutz's cameo in "Four Regrettings and a Funeral".

Mr. Hutz again in "Four Regrettings and a Funeral", yet his hair and suit colors have changed

Mr. Hutz's cameo in "White Christmas Blues", sitting next to Smithers

Lionel Hutz drinking beer.