Update: TechCrunch's sources are reporting that Zynga's Boston studio has been shut down, and 2/3 of staff at their Austin studio have been laid off. We're still awaiting confirmation from Zynga. Though not yet confirmed, word around the web is that Zynga's studios in Boston, Austin and Chicago were hit with massive layoffs earlier today, and possibly shut down for good.
Last month EA filed a lawsuit against Zynga, alleging that the company plagiarized and repurposed several aspects of Sims Social in their similar game The Ville. Not until today has Zynga responded, and as these matters tend to go, they're denying the allegations and bringing forth a few of their own.
Hearing someone call Zynga a copycat is old news. Whether or not Zynga "draws inspiration" or "flat-out rips off" from other popular titles has been a debate for years. For the first time, however, Zynga appears to have an opponent with the financial capital to challenge the social games giant in a court of law. That opponent goes by the name of EA, and they've officially sued Zynga and The Ville for copyright infringement.