'The Pitt' and 'ER' Are Similar Enough to Allow Crichton Suit An appeals court ruled Wednesday that 'The Pitt' and 'ER' share enough in common to allow a lawsuit from Michael Crichton's widow to proceed. An appeals court ruled Wednesday that 'The Pitt' and 'ER' share enough in common to allow a lawsuit from Michael Crichton's widow to proceed.