Gina Carano sued Disney after her firing from ‘The Mandalorian.’ The company recently tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, claiming their decision was protected by the First Amendment; but the judge refused.
Disney argued that they cut their ties with Carano because her views confliced with their policy. Meanwhile, the actress claimed her firing was discriminatory and violated California’s labor laws.
US District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett decided that the First Amendment could not be used to justify actions that might break discrimination laws. The case will move forward for now.
Carano and Elon Musk’s Battle Against Disney
Disney let Gina Carano go before ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 in 2021 due to her controversial social media posts that compared today’s political state to Nazi Germany and had transphobic tones.
The studio called the actress’ posts ‘abhorrent and unacceptable’ and confirmed she wouldn’t return to the ‘Star Wars’ franchise. So, she filed a lawsuit against them as well as Lucasfilm with financial back up from Elon Musk. She accused the two companies of violating her freedom of speech.
The lawsuit revealed that Carano wasn’t contracted for the show’s Season 3 when Disney fired her. But she claimed the incident made it difficult for her to secure acting roles. The actress also said the company ‘bullied’ her.
The Actress’ Response To Dismissal Attempts
Gina Carano replied to Disney’s attempts to dismiss her lawsuit in late May by writing on X:
“Disney, you have a problem; you call others what you yourself are; you do and are the things you tell others not to do or be. You demand apologies and can never figure out how to give one. My case should NOT be dismissed; I deserve the right to present this to my peers and judge in the court of law. Other artists in this industry should take notice.”
She continued:
“Most of you already know, and I appreciate all the messages of support. I thought you preach about listening to all women; am I getting that right, Hollywood?? Every ounce of me is a woman, and I’m ready to be listened to. Double standards, hypocrisy, discrimination… Things need to change, and they KNOW it, and so does everyone else. Court date set June 12th in LA. Pray with me; level heads prevail.”
The case will now move on to the discovery phase. After that, the judge will decide whether to dismiss the lawsuit or let it go on to trial.
