A Los Angeles federal court ruled Wednesday that former Disney actress Gina Carano can move forward with her lawsuit against her former employer, alleging she was wrongfully fired because of her political views.
U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett denied Disney’s previous motion to dismiss the lawsuit, writing that the company had “failed to demonstrate an ‘absolute First Amendment defense.'”
Carano accused the company of firing her because she “refusal to support causes and ideas that I do not agree with,” including Black Lives Matter, COVID-19 lockdowns and sharing pronouns.
In its complaint, Disney argued that it had the right to sever its ties with Carano because she did not convey the company’s values. Judge Garnett ruled against Disney. No substantial evidence was presented to prove that the actors were hired or fired to promote the company’s values.
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A federal judge has denied Disney’s motion to dismiss Gina Carano’s lawsuit. (Photo Illustration: Nicholas Koucovlis/NurPhoto/Ethan Miller/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
“Defendants have not presented any evidence in the complaint or otherwise to support their assertion that they employ public-facing actors for the purpose of promoting ‘values of respect,’ ‘civility,’ ‘integrity,’ or ‘inclusion.'” Accordingly, there is no constitutional merit to Defendants’ assertion that Plaintiff’s ‘mere presence’ as one of Defendants’ employees creates adverse effects.” Garnett wrote.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Disney for comment.
Carano, who previously starred in the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” celebrated the decision in a post with X after her firing.
“Tears are flowing. After 3 1/2 grueling years, I have been given the opportunity to stand in court and clear my name in front of a judge and my peers. I am so grateful for this opportunity. What happened to me was unacceptable, unjust and abusive. It should never have happened to me and should never happen to anyone else. Let this end here,” Carano wrote.
She continued, “I have literally fought through intense ups and downs to get to this point in my career and I will continue to fight to continue doing what I love. I thank everyone who has supported and stood by me. I am so sorry that some of you have been in a similar situation. I want you to know that I understand and am with you.”
She also thanked X owner Elon Musk, who has provided funding since the lawsuit was announced in February.
“Online platforms are proud to fund Ms. Carano’s lawsuit, empowering her to defend her free speech at X and her ability to work free from bullying, harassment and discrimination,” X said in a statement at the time.
Gina Carano arrives at the Disney+ premiere of The Mandalorian held at the El Capitan Theatre on November 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Carano was fired in 2021 after facing public backlash for an Instagram post in which she likened the Jewish experience during the Holocaust to political division in the United States.
“Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers, but by their neighbors and even by children. History has been falsified so that most people today don’t understand that to get to a point where Nazi soldiers could easily arrest thousands of Jews, the government first got their neighbors to hate them simply because they were Jewish. How is that any different to hating someone for their political views?” read the post, originally made by a different account.
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Fox News’ Hannah Grossman and Kendall Tees contributed to this report.
