Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson and ABC Sued for Copyright Infringement

Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson is being sued for copyright infringement, just a few days after the show received multiple Emmy nominations.

RadarOnline.com reported on Wednesday that actress and performer Christine Davis is suing Brunson and ABC for ripping off her show, This School Year.

"Without [Davis'] permission, license, authority, or consent, [Brunson & ABC] knowingly and illegally used [Davis'] works to create the Abbott Elementary television show," claims the suit, a copy of which was obtained by RadarOnline.

Davis allegedly wrote the script for This School Year in 2018 and registered it with the United States Copyright Office in March 2020, one year before Abbott Elementary premiered. According to court documents, Davis said her show is a television comedy set in a New York City public school. In the show, the principal hires filmmakers to film a documentary of the school.

In This School Year, the principal is convinced all is well at the school and that "teachers and students will adhere to her agents," according to court documents, but teachers, staff, and students operate according to their own agenda. The main character of Davis' show is Ms. David, a "young, idealistic teacher hoping to get tenure but also trying to convince everyone that the school needs to be reformed."

Abbot Elementary, which takes place at a public school in Philadelphia, employs a similar mockumentary style and centers on an idealistic young teacher, played by Brusnon.

Davis claims she took her script to Blue Park Productions in July 2020 and had at least three meetings about the project. At the time, Davis alleges, ABC and Hulu were looking for Black, female-led comedies, and producers she spoke to at Blue Park Productions took the show to Hulu, but never reached a deal.

ABC then began shooting Abbott Elementary in September 2020, with Brunson listed as the creator and lead actor.

Davis' lawsuit, which is seeking all profits Brunson and ABC made from the show, alleges Abbott Elementary copied the "look and feel of the inner-city school, the mockumentary style, unique plot synopsis, set design and unique characters from" her TV script. The suit continues, "Additionally, the main characters are all stingingly and substantially similar. From the triad of young teachers whose roles are nearly identical."

Brunson and ABC have yet to comment on the lawsuit.

Abbott Elementary is currently streaming on Hulu.

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Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.