The Dramatic Publishing Company v. Carter

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING ) COMPANY, ) ) Petitioner, ) ) vs. ) Case No. 21 C 5541 ) TONJA CARTER, et al., ) ) Respondents. ) MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER MATTHEW F. KENNELLY, District Judge: This lawsuit and underlying arbitration concern the stage rights to adaptions of Nelle Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In 1969, Lee granted The Dramatic Publishing Company (Dramatic) exclusive rights to license amateur acting rights to dramatizations of her novel. Almost 50 years later, Lee terminated that…