NY lawsuit claims `Disturbia' copied short story

NEW YORK - September 9, 2008 The 2007 thriller "Disturbia" stars Shia LaBeouf as a kid who spies on neighbors, including a man he suspects is a serial killer.

The copyright infringement lawsuit, filed Monday in Manhattan, says "Disturbia" copied a short story Cornell Woolrich wrote in 1942 and the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock movie that starred James Stewart and Grace Kelly and was based on the story.

Woolrich died in 1968. The rights to "Rear Window" were sold to Sheldon Abend, who died in 2003. His estate brought the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages.

Representatives for Spielberg, DreamWorks and Paramount said they don't comment on pending litigation.

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