Lawsuit accusing 'The Pitt' of copying 'ER' heads to jury trial in the US
An appeals court rejected Warner Bros.' appeal and found clear similarities between the shows; Michael Crichton's widow alleges an unauthorized remake.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
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A US appeals court ruled unanimously that the lawsuit claiming the series "The Pitt" is an unauthorized copy of "ER" should be tried before a jury in Los Angeles Superior Court, g1 reported. The decision, released on Wednesday (4th), denied an appeal by Warner Bros.
The suit was filed in 2024 by Sherri Crichton, widow of Michael Crichton, the creator of "ER", who died in 2008. According to the judges, she presented enough evidence to move the case forward, and a comparison of the pilot scripts revealed clear similarities in plot, dialogue and medical jargon.
According to the heirs, the new show violates a frozen-rights clause in the original 1994 contract, which barred spin-offs, sequels or reboots without the author's approval. They claim that after talks for an official reboot fell through, the producers simply swapped Chicago for Pittsburgh and kept the same formula.
Warner Bros. asked for the case to be dismissed, arguing that the two series share only generic similarities common to any medical drama.
"ER" aired from 1994 to 2009, ran for 331 episodes and won 23 Emmy Awards. "The Pitt", starring Noah Wyle, who also appeared in the original series, has won 12 Emmys over two seasons, and its third season is expected in January.