Netflix lost its attempt to dismiss a defamation case involving its historical drama The Queen’s Gambit.
A federal judge denied Netflix’s request to dismiss a $5 million lawsuit filed by chess icon Nona Gaprindashvili, who alleged the show’s representation of sexism was inaccurate and defamatory.
“Netflix does not cite, and the Court is not aware, of any cases precluding defamation claims for the portrayal of real persons in otherwise fictional works,” wrote U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips in a ruling on Thursday. “The fact that the Series was a fictional work does not insulate Netflix from liability for defamation if all the elements of defamation are otherwise present.”
TIKTOK ACTIVISTS SPAM YOUNGKIN EDUCATION EMAIL HOTLINE
Gaprindashvili, a Soviet and Georgian chess player and the first woman awarded the title grandmaster, was dissatisfied with a line in the show’s final episode, in which commentators compared the real-life player to the fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon, played by Anya Taylor-Joy.
“The only unusual thing about her, really, is her sex, and even that’s not unique in Russia,” the commentator says. “There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, but she’s the female world champion and has never faced men.”
“The allegation that Gaprindashvili ‘has never faced men’ is manifestly false, as well as being grossly sexist and belittling,” Gaprindashvili’s September 2021 complaint argues. “By 1968, the year in which this episode is set, she had competed against at least 59 male chess players (28 of them simultaneously in one game), including at least ten Grandmasters of that time, including Dragolyub Velimirovich, Svetozar Gligoric, Paul Keres, Bojan Kurajica, Boris Spassky, Viswanathan Anand, and Mikhail Tal. The last three were also world champions during their careers.”
Netflix has pushed back on Gaprindashvili’s allegations, saying that while the company has “only the utmost respect for Ms. Gaprindashvili and her illustrious career,” her claim “has no merit,” vowing to defend the case “vigorously.”
Phillips found this argument unpersuasive, saying the company, which could have used a fictional character instead, “had no need to use Gaprindashvili’s name and to disparage her achievements for dramatic purposes.”
“It could have used a fictional character instead; or it could have referred to her by name, but not told the lie that she had never competed against men,” the judge wrote. “Instead, Netflix deliberately eschewed these non-defamatory alternatives because it believed that the lie made for a more dramatic story.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Gaprindashvili’s lawsuit was filed in the Central District of California and is seeking damages of at least $5 million.
A representative from Netflix did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
