M. Night Shyamalan and Apple Win ‘Servant’ Copyright Trial Jury Rules, Escape $81M Claim

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M. Night Shyamalan produced the Apple TV+ series ‘Servant,’ which ran for four seasons from 2019 to 2023. Created by Tony Basgallop, the psychological horror show followed Dorothy and Sean Turner, a couple who hire a nanny, Leanne, to care for a lifelike doll that Dorothy believes is her dead son, Jericho.

The series explored dark secrets about the family and Leanne, with plenty of twists to keep viewers guessing. Praised for its eerie atmosphere and strong performances, ‘Servant’ was a successful addition to Shyamalan’s body of work.

‘Servant’ also got M. Night Shyamalan in legal trouble in two instances. In 2020, Francesca Gregorini accused M. Night Shyamalan’s show ‘Servant’ of copying her 2013 film ‘The Truth About Emanuel,’ as both stories involve a mother who believes a doll is her real baby and hires a nanny.

While her copyright lawsuit was dismissed in 2020, it was revived in 2022 by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, leading to a jury trial despite Apple’s efforts to have it thrown out.

The jury recently watched ‘The Truth About Emanuel’ and the first three episodes of ‘Servant’ and ruled in Shyamalan’s favor. A federal jury ruled in favor of M. Night Shyamalan and Apple on Friday, ending a copyright trial. The case lasted seven days and took place in Riverside, California.

Gregorini sought up to $81 million in damages, accusing Shyamalan and his team of using elements of her film without giving credit.

Shyamalan testified on Wednesday, saying he and the other creators of ‘Servant’ had never seen or heard of Gregorini’s film before the lawsuit. He called the situation “clearly, 100%, a misunderstanding.

He added, “This accusation is the exact opposite of everything I do and everything I try to represent. I would have never allowed it. None of the people that I work with would ever do anything like that.”

Gregorini testified that she was “shocked” when she first saw the ‘Servant’ trailer and thought her film had been stolen. She pointed out several scenes in the show that she believed were copied from her movie, such as the nanny treating the doll as real when she’s alone and another scene where the nanny faints.

Although she was advised not to sue and faced career setbacks, Gregorini said she wanted to stand up against this kind of theft in the industry. “I wanted to hold the defendants accountable for what they did and to do my part so that this doesn’t happen to anyone else in my industry ever again.”

The verdict ends a five-year legal fight. The original lawsuit against Apple, Shyamalan, and writer Tony Basgallop was filed in 2020, soon after ‘Servant’ premiered on Apple TV+. The show has since finished its four-season run.

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