New levels…new devils. The very same day Quinta Brunson and her hit series, “Abbott Elementary,” secured 7 Emmy nominations, she was sued for copyright infringement.
Christine Davis filed the lawsuit against Quinta and ABC on July 12 claiming that “Abbott Elementary” is a “veritable knock-off” of her show, “The School Year.”
In her lawsuit, Davis claims the hit ABC series mirror the “look and feel of the inner-city school, the mockumentary style, unique plot synopsis, set design, and unique characters.”
She added that many of the characters are “nearly identical” and that the first few episodes have similar plot lines.
In “The School Year,” the school’s principal hires filmmakers to make a documentary following how everything is going according to plan. But the teachers and student body have their own perceptions of the school.
The main character of Davis’ project is Ms. David, a “young, idealistic teacher hoping to get tenure but also trying to convince everyone that the school needs to be reformed.”
Ms. David is very similar to Janine Teagues, the character “Abbott Elementary” creator Quinta Brunson portrays in the series.
The suit states, “Without [Davis’] permission, license, authority, or consent, [Brunson & ABC] knowingly and illegally used [Davis’] works to create the ‘Abbot[t] Elementary’ television show.”
Davis claims she had three meetings with Sullivan Wright and Charisse Parks at Blue Parks Productions in Los Angeles in mid-June and July.
They reportedly showed “The School Year” script to Hulu.
“Abbott Elementary” started filming a few months later.
So, how did Quinta obtain Christine Davis’ work? Because neither producer Davis had meetings with is connected to the ABC series.
Christine Davis is seeking a jury trial and an unspecified about of damages.
She’s also demanding that “Brunson and ABC relinquish all profits they made from the show.”
Meanwhile back at “Abbott Elementary,” Quinta Brunson announced the first day of production on Season 2 began on Monday.
While I love this show with my whole heart, I’d hate to know someone had their work or ideas stolen from them.
Hopefully, all of this is an unfortunate misunderstanding of similar ideas.
Source: NY Post
