# Michael Crichton Estate Lawsuit Over 'The Pitt' Heads to Jury Trial

> Michael Crichton estate wins court battle against Warner Bros. over 'The Pitt' copying 'ER'.
- Title: Michael Crichton Estate Lawsuit Over 'The Pitt' Heads to Jury…
- Summary: Michael Crichton estate wins court battle against Warner Bros. over 'The Pitt' copying 'ER'. Michael Crichton estate claims 'The Pitt' violates frozen rights…
- Keywords: michael crichton, the pitt, warner bros, noah wyle, r scott gemmill, frozen rights, slapp suit, TheWrap
- Source: TheWrap — https://thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/the-pitt-er-michael-crichton-lawsuit-jury-trial
- Author: Drew Taylor
- Published: 2026-11-04T23:14:14+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: michael crichton, the pitt, er, warner bros, noah wyle, r scott gemmill, frozen rights, slapp suit, entertainment, culture, business
## Court Ruling
The Court of Appeal upheld the Crichton estate's claim that 'The Pitt' violates frozen rights agreement with 'ER'.

> The order of the trial court denying the anti-SLAPP motion as to WBTV is affirmed.
## Lawsuit Claim
Sheri Crichton alleges Warner Bros. and 'The Pitt' creator R. Scott Gemmill used an 'ER' reboot idea from 2020 to make 'The Pitt'.

> The Crichton estates is asserting that 'The Pitt' 'is the 'ER' reboot they negotiated in disguise about as tricky as a pair of Groucho glasses.
## Frozen Rights Clause
The 1994 agreement froze 'ER' derivatives until mutual agreement between Crichton, Amblin and Warner Bros. was reached.
## Similarities to 'ER'
The Pitt's 12-hour episode structure and character roles directly borrowed from 'ER' pilot written by Crichton.
## Key takeaway

Michael Crichton estate claims 'The Pitt' violates frozen rights agreement with 'ER' by copying its 2020 reboot concept.