# Apple TV’s 6-Year Legal Battle With M. Night Shyamalan Officially Ends

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/apple-tvs-6-year-legal-battle-with-m-night-shyamalan-officially-ends/
- Published: 2026-11-01T18:30:12+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-01T19:26:11+00:00
- Original publisher: Collider
- Original article: https://collider.com/servant-lawsuit-dismissed-apple-tv-m-night-shyamalan/
- Topics: Entertainment, TV

## Key points

- Appeals court upholds the jury’s verdict in the *Servant* copyright dispute.
- Gregorini alleged the series copied her 2013 film.
- The ruling brings the six-year case to an end.

## Summary

A US appeals court has upheld a jury’s finding that the makers of Apple TV’s *Servant* did not have access to Francesca Gregorini’s film *The Truth About Emanuel* before creating the series. The ruling, issued on 22 October, ends a six-year legal dispute over Gregorini’s claim that *Servant* copied elements of her 2013 film.

Gregorini sued in 2020, citing similarities in plot, tone, characters and visual style, including a grieving mother caring for a lifelike doll and a nanny who bonds with it. A judge dismissed the case that year and ordered Gregorini to pay $160,000 in legal fees, but the case was revived in 2022 and that fee award was overturned. In 2025, a jury sided with Apple and Shyamalan, finding the *Servant* team had not accessed the film; the appeals court has now left that verdict in place.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.