Warner Bros. Settles The Conjuring Lawsuit

Despite what appeared to be an incoming trial, Warner Bros. has settled with Demonologist author Gerald Brittle for nearly $1 billion over a copyright battle for The Conjuring franchise.

The attorneys for the author and the Warner Bros. division had this to say about the issue:

“Mr. Brittle is dismissing his lawsuit against New Line with prejudice, and the parties announced that in court on Monday. Mr. Brittle ‘realizes that filing this lawsuit was a mistake, and that New Line has no liability and did nothing wrong .The parties are working to resolve New Line’s counterclaims.”

Though the parties have reached a settlement in this matter, it seems that long time disgruntled producer Tony DeRosa=Grund, has also been uncovered as the secret “mastermind” behind this latest legal attempt to grab ahold of the Conjuring and the profits it seems to spew out over four films and much more to come.

In a hearing in federal court in Virginia on December 5, Warner Bros. lawyer Matt Kline informed Judge John Gibney, Jr. that a “settlement was reached over the weekend.” As a part of the talks to make that deal, the O’Melveny & Myers attorney also told the court that they’ve discovered that “Mr. DeRosa-Grund has been running this litigation since day one.”

It would appear that DeRosa-Grund has been a thorn in Warner Bros. side for quite some time. Because of this DeRosa-Grund is expected to hand over access to personal email accounts as well as provide the documents he has previously been subpoenaed to hand over in regards to this lawsuit. After years of being hit by lawsuits by DeRosa-Grund, Warner Bros. is leaving no stone unturned to end what has been a litigation game that has gone off the rails.

Called out as a “puppeteer” in a previous hearing in the Brittle case, DeRosa-Grund could end up owing over $1 million for using surrogates like the author to make issues at Warner Bros. That potential payout is a result of DeRosa-Grund previous pledge in arbitration to not sue anymore and indemnify the studio against further claims and rights, including the ones that were affirmed to the studio.

As of now, representatives for DeRosa-Grund have yet to comment on this issue.


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About Gaius Bolling 3795 Articles
At the age of five, I knew I wanted to write movies and about them. I've set out to make those dreams come true. As an alumni of the Los Angeles Film Academy, I participated in their Screenwriting program, while building up my expertise in film criticism. I write reviews that relate to the average moviegoer by educating my readers and keeping it fun. My job is to let you know the good, the bad, and the ugly in the world of cinema, so you can have your best moviegoing experience. You can find more of my writing on Instagram @g_reelz.