Two screenwriters, Stephanie Counts and Shari Gold, have accused Fox's television show "New Girl" of stealing elements of their television pilot script, according to Inside Counsel. Counts and Gold have filed a lawsuit against "New Girl" creator Elizabeth Meriwether and director Jake Kasdan alleging Fox's comedy is based on their own script for a television series called Square One.

In the lawsuit, Counts and Gold said "Any differences between the Square One scripts and New Girl are so small and insignificant that they cannot be afforded copyright protection, and are, in fact, nothing more than transparent attempts to hide defendants' blatant plagiarism."

They further asserted "New Girl" does not qualify as an original creation, as any differences between the show and Square One are "more akin to eraser marks or ink blots on Stephanie and Shari's creation and cannot be treated as original expression."

Counts and Gold seek monetary compensation, credit and an injunction against further filming and distribution of "New Girl." The lawsuit alleges Fox attorneys offered a settlement to silence the writers and prevent legal action, but Counts and Gold seek credit as well as compensation. Indeed, according to their representation, they seek compensatory, statutory, punitive and exemplary damages for the alleged infringement of their intellectual property.