Will "Runway" Judge "Resort" to Anything?

Michael Kors will resort to stealing from the dead -- according to a new lawsuit.

TMZ has obtained a Federal lawsuit filed Monday by a famous designer's company, claiming the "Project Runway" judge brazenly ripped off designs for a clothing line.

Here's what's interesting -- the company was owned by acclaimed designer Tony Duquette, who died in 1999. According to the suit, last year Kors unveiled his Resort Collection, which allegedly is a direct rip on Duquette's work. Even worse, the suit claims Kors had the audacity to refer to the Collection publicly as the "Duquette Collection."