Quinta Brunson, creator/actor of Abbott Elementary, has been taken to court just one day after getting numerous Emmy nominations, Radar has discovered.
According to court records acquired by RadarOnline.com, Christine Davis, a promising writer, actor, and performer, has sued Brunson and the ABC network, which airs the successful comedy.
David accused the defendants of copyright infringement in the action, claiming Abbott is a rip-off of her show, This School Year.
“[Brunson & ABC] intentionally and illegally utilized [Davis’] works to produce the Abbott Elementary tv series without [Davis’] permission, license, authorization, or approval.”
Davis created the script in 2018 and submitted to the the US Copyright Office in March 2020, a full year before Brunson’s program premiered.
Davis stated in court filings that her project is a tv comedy set at a New York City school. The principal hires videographers to shoot a documentary on the school in her show.
The principal was confident in her show everything is running properly, that the show is well-controlled, and that “teachers and students will adhere to her agents.” Teachers, staff, and students, on the other hand, have their own agendas.
Ms. David is the primary character, and she is a “young, idealistic teacher looking for tenure while simultaneously trying to persuade everyone that the school has to be improved.”
Abbott is a rockumentary-style comedy starring Brunson as an idealistic teacher at a public school with a staff of cynical coworkers.
Davis stated that in July 2020, she took her work to two ladies called Shavon Sullivan Wright and Cherisse Parks at Blue Park Productions. She stated that she had at least 3 meetings regarding her project.
They informed her that ABC and HULU were seeking for black, female-led comedy. Davis stated that Wright and Parks approached HULU about the program, but no deal was reached.
Davis stated that ABC started filming Abbott in September 2020, with Brunson as the star and as the showrunner.
Davis’ lawsuit demands that Brunson and ABC return all profits from the series. Brunson received Emmy nods for acting & writing on the show.
