`SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
`----------------------------------------------------------------X
` LYNNE FREEMAN,
`
` Plaintiff,
` -against- 22 CIVIL 2435 (CM)(SN)
`
` JUDGMENT
`TRACY DEEBS-ELKENANEY ET AL.,
`
` Defendants.
`----------------------------------------------------------------X
` It is hereby
`ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED: That for the reasons
`stated in the Court's Decision and Order dated March 16, 2026, this is a case that is easily
`disposed of once one reads the allegedly infringed and infringing works against each other and in
`light of the well-developed law in this Circuit on substantial similarity within literary works.
`Freeman's novel and Wolff's Crave novels are indeed similar, but only in the ways that all young
`adult romantasy fiction novels are similar to each other. At the granular level, looking at their
`unique creative expression, they are substantially different not substantially similar. Therefore,
`Defendants' motion for summary judgment on Plaintiff's copyright claims is GRANTED.
`Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment is DENIED. Defendants' motion for summary judgment
`on Freeman's actual damages claim and motion to strike jury demand are DENIED AS MOOT.
`Sadly, this ruling does not end the Crave/Freeman saga. The decision to dismiss Freeman's case
`effectively disposes of the cases that Freeman has brought against Barnes & Noble Booksellers,
`Inc., Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Target Brands Inc., and Walmart Inc., charging them with
`contributory infringement as a result of sales of the four Crave novels. See Freeman v. Barnes &
`Noble Booksellers, Inc. et al., Case No. 2:23-cv-4145; Freeman v. Apple, Inc., Case No. 23-cv-
`7051; Freeman v. Amazon.com Inc. et al., Case No. 23-cv-4796. However, the Court sees no
`Case 1:22-cv-02435-CM-SN Document 549 Filed 03/31/26 Page 1 of 2
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`reason to lift the stay in those cases at the present time. If Freeman takes an appeal from the
`decision, we can abide the decision from the Second Circuit before entering final orders that will
`dispose of those cases in one way or another depending on whether this decision is affirmed or
`reversed. If there is no appeal we can lift the stay at that time. The newest case, Freeman v.
`Deebs-Elkenaney et al., Case No. 25-cv-9345, involves allegations that the fifth and sixth novels
`in the Crave series infringe Freeman's copyrights, for substantially the same reasons that the first
`four Crave novels infringed.
`Dated: New York, New York
` March 31, 2026
`
` TAMMI M. HELLWIG
` _________________________
` Clerk of Court
`
`
` BY:
` _________________________
` Deputy Clerk
`Case 1:22-cv-02435-CM-SN Document 549 Filed 03/31/26 Page 2 of 2
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