Stranger Things Plagiarism Lawsuit Withdrawn Just Before Trial

A lawsuit against the Duffer Brothers over allegedly stealing the idea for Stranger Things has been dropped just before the trial was to begin. Deadline reports that Charles Kessler, who filed the suit last April, withdrew his lawsuit on Sunday, issuing a statement that recanted his claims that Matt and Ross Duffer committed plagiarism.

The statement by Kessler read:

“After hearing the deposition testimony this week of the legal expert I hired, it is now apparent to me that, whatever I may have believed in the past, my work had nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things. Documents from 2010 and 2013 prove that the Duffers independently created their show. As a result, I have withdrawn my claim and I will be making no further comment on this matter.”

Kessler claimed in the lawsuit that he had met with the Duffers in 2014, pitching an idea inspired by his 2012 short film Montauk. Netflix later greenlit Stranger Things.

Netflix issued a statement on the withdrawal which read:

“We are glad to be able to put this baseless lawsuit behind us. As we have said all along, Stranger Things is a ground-breaking original creation by The Duffer Brothers. We are proud of this show and of our friends Matt and Ross, whose artistic vision gave life to Stranger Things, and whose passion, imagination and relentless hard work alongside our talented cast and crew made it a wildly successful, award-winning series beloved by viewers around the world.”

The trial was set to begin on Tuesday.