Warner Bros Appeals Court Decision Rebuffed Over The Pitt Lawsuit

Warner Bros. Television will face a jury trial after a California appellate court rejected the studio's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit from the estate of Michael Crichton. Deadline and The Wrap reported that a panel of appeal court judges affirmed a lower court ruling against Warner Bros., which seeks to block claims that the HBO Max medical drama series The Pitt infringes on the legal rights of the television franchise ER. [1][2][5]

According to The Wrap, the Court of Appeal agreed with the California Superior Court that evidence submitted by the Crichton estate supports claims that the series violates frozen rights provisions within a 1994 contract. The estate contends that the new medical show is directly derivative of ER, which was created by Crichton. The appellate ruling permits the legal dispute to proceed into formal discovery and a jury trial. [2]

The legal action comes while production continues on the third season of the drama, which stars Noah Wyle, according to Deadline. Wyle previously starred in ER, the long-running television show covered by the original 1994 rights agreement. Warner Bros. Pictures operates as part of Warner Bros. Entertainment and is based at the studio complex in Burbank, California. [1][2][8]