The Pitt and ER are similar enough for Michael Crichton’s widow’s lawsuit to proceed, court rules
Also reported by BBC Top Stories
Summary
A three-judge U.S. appeals court ruled that Sherri Crichton can pursue her lawsuit against Warner Bros. Television over claims that The Pitt is an unauthorized reboot of ER. The case will go to a jury trial in Los Angeles unless the parties settle; the court dismissed actor Noah Wyle and producers John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill as defendants.Key Facts
- The court cited similarities including emergency-room settings, medical jargon, overlapping crises, graphic injuries, exhausted staff and a newly graduated doctor.
- The panel found the similarities sufficient to establish a preliminary case for trial.
- Sherri Crichton sued in August 2024, alleging The Pitt violated a contract provision that restricted spin-offs or reboots of ER without approval.
- Michael Crichton created ER and died in 2008.
- Warner Bros. Television argued that the similarities were common to medical dramas and sought to dismiss the lawsuit under California’s anti-SLAPP law.
- The appeals court found no evidence that Wyle, Wells or Gemmill knew that creating The Pitt could violate Crichton’s contractual rights.
- Wyle, Wells and Gemmill have said The Pitt developed after a planned ER reboot did not proceed.
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