Disney and Gina Carano Settle Lawsuit Over ‘The Mandalorian’ Firing
The Walt Disney Company and Gina Carano have settled the long-standing lawsuit over the actress’s firing from The Mandalorian.
Before we get into the settlement, we have to discuss how we got here.
Photo: Lucasfilm
Carano Sued Disney
In a lawsuit filed last February and funded by Elon Musk, Carano accused Disney of harassment and defamation after she refused to “conform” to the company’s views on issues such as Black Lives Matter, preferred pronouns, and election interference. In short, the actress claims that she was terminated simply for voicing right-wing political opinions on social media, in violation of the First Amendment.
THE MANDALORIAN
Disney quickly responded, arguing that it had a constitutional right not to associate its artistic expression with Carano’s speech.
Specifically, Disney highlighted Carano’s social media post that compared the persecution of the Jews under Nazi Germany to what modern American conservatives face.
Photo: Disney
“Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews. The government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews,” she wrote. “How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?”
The Settlement
While the terms of the settlement have not been revealed, it sounds like Carano got at least one thing she was looking for.
The actress was initially seeking a court order that would force Lucasfilm to recast her in a Star Wars series, $75,000, and punitive damages.
Photo: UPI.com
Following the settlement, Lucasfilm released a statement hinting that we could see Carano back in the Star Wars universe soon.
“With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future,” a spokesperson said.
“We have reached an agreement with Gina Carano to resolve the issues in her pending lawsuit against the companies, Ms. Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars, and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect.”
Reading that statement, it is hard to think that Carano did not win her battle with Disney. Even if we will never know the final terms.
