Nicci Gilbert has filed a lawsuit against the creators of P-Valley.
Gilbert is filing a lawsuit claiming copyright infringement. According to The Jasmine Brand, she claimed there are too many similarities between the STARZ show and her 2011 play, “Soul Kittens Cabaret.
The STARZ series was created by Katori Hall, apparently based on her 2015 play, P*ssy Valley. It follows several people who work at The Pynk, a fictional strip club in Chucalissa, Mississippi.
The lawsuit alleges the series is a “veritable unauthorized 2020 knock-off of Plaintiff’s “Soul Kittens Cabaret,” and that the defendants “knowingly and illegally used Plaintiff’s works to create the P-Valley television series.”
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According to Yahoo, Gilbert alleged that, on her behalf, entertainment attorney Leroy Bobbit pitched Soul Kittens Cabaret as a musical TV drama to Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer at his Los Angeles office in 2014. The lawsuit states Feltheimer was given two copies of her script and the SKC DVD.
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During the Lionsgate SKC Pitch, Feltheimer expressed enthusiasm and interest in scripting SKC as a musical drama series for Lionsgate and even stated that he loved the character named “Tata Burlesque.” Feltheimer further explained that he enjoyed reading scripts and would read the script over the weekend, share it with the Lionsgate team, and follow up with Bobbit.”
Gilbert-Daniels is seeking actual and statutory damages, as well as a jury trial in the civil suit.
Although this is in the woodworks, P-Valley was renewed two weeks after its premiere for a second season. Back in August 2021, STARZ confirmed that the next season was being filmed and gave us a sneak peek into what to expect:
Season one was just the tip, chile. Here’s a lil’ taste of what we’re working on for season two #PynkPosse 😉. #PValley pic.twitter.com/23jLe0j63R
— P-Valley (@PValleySTARZ) August 20, 2021
