‘Project Runway’ Season 6 still tied up in court
Reporting from New York — “Project Runway” fans hoping for a resolution to the legal stalemate that has kept the show off the air indefinitely will have to bide their time for a while.
The future of the popular fashion design competition is still mired in lawsuits and cross-complaints, stemming from a decision last spring by producer Weinstein Co. to move the show from Bravo to Lifetime Television. Bravo parent company NBC Universal immediately sued Weinstein Co. for breach of contract.
In September, a New York state Supreme Court judge issued a preliminary injunction to keep Lifetime from airing or promoting “Runway.” Lifetime then filed its own complaint in October, trying to get the case moved to federal court.
A federal judge rejected that move in December, sending the matter back to the state Supreme Court. No trial date had been set as of press time.
Despite the legal limbo, producers have gone forward with the making of Season 6, shot in Los Angeles last fall. On Feb. 20, the show will hold its traditional runway finale at New York Fashion Week, where the finalists will display their collections for the judges.
In past seasons, decoy designers were included in the runway show to prevent early leaks about who had survived the elimination rounds. But with the Fashion Week taking place before any episodes have aired, producers plan to use an even more extreme method to prevent spoilers: showing the collections without identifying their designers.
