A federal judge has denied a request by The Walt Disney Company to dismiss a lawsuit brought against it regarding its reboot of Muppet Babies. The lawsuit is being brought against the company by the original writer, Jeffrey Scott, for the 80s animated television show of the same name. He claims the company misused his work and owes him money for the 2018 reboot.
The judge said in an opinion that Scott had brought forth a plausible argument for copyright infringement and other claims regarding Disney’s alleged failure to pay Scott for use of his scripts and other ideas from the original show. In Scott’s lawsuit, he accuses Disney of ripping off his scripts, production bible, and other foundational elements of the original show for the new one. This includes character traits, show structure, and the character of the nanny. Scott also claims that he met with Disney in 2016 and offered ideas that were then used in the reboot as well.
The judge’s refusal to dismiss the case was based on the plausibility of the lawsuit elements at this point. At this point, the case is expected to move forward. Disney will be forced to defend its stance in court unless a settlement is reached first.
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