NEW YORK (AP) - A New York judge says she’ll preside over a June trial over the disputed Broadway production of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” if an Alabama judge allows it.
Judge Analisa Torres set a June 4 trial date Monday.
She says the trial will occur if an Alabama judge concludes New York is the right venue to resolve the dispute between the production’s producer and the late author’s estate.
Lee’s estate sued in Alabama federal court in March, arguing screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s script wrongly alters Atticus Finch, a noble attorney, and other book characters.
Scott Rudin’s production company, Rudinplay, countersued in New York in April, demanding $10 million in damages.
A 2015 contract says the play, due to open in December, won’t deviate from the spirit of Lee’s novel.
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