On Wednesday, actress Gina Carano, who starred in Disney’s “The Mandalorian” but was fired after she posted a screenshot of another social media post that warned of the current political climate resembling Nazi Germany, among other personal opinions, took a major step forward in her court case against Disney.
Shortly after the high-profile termination in 2021, The Daily Wire announced that it had partnered with the former mixed martial arts fighter for a movie deal that resulted in the feature film “Terror on the Prairie,” which premiered in June 2022.
Carano had filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Disney — with financial assistance from Tesla CEO Elon Musk — and Disney responded by asking for the case to be dismissed on the basis of First Amendment rights, per The Hollywood Reporter. But Central District of California Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett ruled against Disney, stating,
Where an organization claims protection under “the First Amendment’s expressive associational right,” a court “must determine whether the group engages in ‘expressive association.’”
Here, although [Disney] indisputably engage[s] in expressive activity—including, but certainly not limited to, producing and disseminating The Mandalorian—they have failed to establish that they engage in expressive association. Furthermore, at this stage in the litigation, the Court cannot conclude, as Defendants urge it to, that [Carano’s] continued employment by Defendants would inhibit or intrude upon Defendants’ rights to expressive association.
Carano told The Daily Wire that her “initial reaction” to the decision “was jumping up and down looking at my phone with the biggest smile on my face and yes maybe a bit of a squeal… and today I feel like I can fly.”
“This experience truly gives me more sympathy for anyone who has been demonized in this way,” she added. “I think this world is craving justice and transparency more than ever before and I believe America has a great opportunity in leading the way. America, take that opportunity please!”
Carano said the judge’s rejection of Disney’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit means “It’s game on. Moving forward into discovery.”
“We have a road ahead of us I won’t pretend will be easy as this is my first time in court and these things take time. But in the meantime, I’m getting back to work with a sense of liberation, determination, and discipline. I feel free to enjoy making art again or maybe I actually feel free for the first time to actually make my own art,” she continued. “My heart craves justice and at the same time, a desire to help bring the people who are hurting and lost comfort — not only my world got flipped upside down these past few years, and I want to bring those people hope. I am so tired of the division and hatred. Bring back treating each other like human beings again.”
After the judge issued her ruling, Carano also celebrated online, writing:
I am moved to tears. After a brutal 3 1/2 years, I am being given the opportunity to move forward in the court of law before the judge and my peers to clear my name. I am so grateful for this opportunity. What happened to me was unacceptable, absurd and abusive, among other things. It should not have happened to me, and it should not happen to anyone else moving forward.
Let it stop here. I quite literally fought to get to where I got to in my career through intense ups and downs, and I’ll keep up that fight to continue doing what I love. I appreciate all of you who stood by me and defended me, and I am so sorry that similar situations have happened to some of you. I want you to know that I see you and I stand with you.
Carano thanked Musk, then cited an interview she did with Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro in February 2021: “At my lowest point. I was wounded and in so much pain, but I feel that pain lifting now. … God’s given me the ability to take some punches and give some back. My feet are on solid ground. Imagine what your voice can do.”
In the 2021 interview, Carano stated, “I read this somewhere. It’s like, ‘Don’t try to ruin my life with lies when your life can be ruined with the truth.’ You got billion-dollar companies raining down on me from every different place. And do I really even need to say anything? You’re showing it. You’re showing what you do to people. You’re showing you don’t give them a voice, you’re showing them you’re not gonna listen; you’re not going to see a person past what you read in a very skewed article. You’re showing what bullies you are against one voice here. One. … This is what they’re afraid of. They’re afraid of one voice. Imagine.”
“the court DENIES defendants motion.”
I am moved to tears. After a brutal 3 1/2 years, I am being given the opportunity to move forward in the court of law before the judge and my peers to clear my name. I am so grateful for this opportunity.
What happened to me was… pic.twitter.com/q7r3MLhCEr
— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) July 25, 2024
“Notably, not only does this spell trouble for Disney on a legal and reputational level, but it also opens them up to the process of discovery,” Bounding Into Comics noted.
Katie Jerkovich contributed to this article.
[#item_full_content]
[[{“value”:”
On Wednesday, actress Gina Carano, who starred in Disney’s “The Mandalorian” but was fired after she posted a screenshot of another social media post that warned of the current political climate resembling Nazi Germany, among other personal opinions, took a major step forward in her court case against Disney.
Shortly after the high-profile termination in 2021, The Daily Wire announced that it had partnered with the former mixed martial arts fighter for a movie deal that resulted in the feature film “Terror on the Prairie,” which premiered in June 2022.
Carano had filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Disney — with financial assistance from Tesla CEO Elon Musk — and Disney responded by asking for the case to be dismissed on the basis of First Amendment rights, per The Hollywood Reporter. But Central District of California Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett ruled against Disney, stating,
Where an organization claims protection under “the First Amendment’s expressive associational right,” a court “must determine whether the group engages in ‘expressive association.’”
Here, although [Disney] indisputably engage[s] in expressive activity—including, but certainly not limited to, producing and disseminating The Mandalorian—they have failed to establish that they engage in expressive association. Furthermore, at this stage in the litigation, the Court cannot conclude, as Defendants urge it to, that [Carano’s] continued employment by Defendants would inhibit or intrude upon Defendants’ rights to expressive association.
Carano told The Daily Wire that her “initial reaction” to the decision “was jumping up and down looking at my phone with the biggest smile on my face and yes maybe a bit of a squeal… and today I feel like I can fly.”
“This experience truly gives me more sympathy for anyone who has been demonized in this way,” she added. “I think this world is craving justice and transparency more than ever before and I believe America has a great opportunity in leading the way. America, take that opportunity please!”
Carano said the judge’s rejection of Disney’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit means “It’s game on. Moving forward into discovery.”
“We have a road ahead of us I won’t pretend will be easy as this is my first time in court and these things take time. But in the meantime, I’m getting back to work with a sense of liberation, determination, and discipline. I feel free to enjoy making art again or maybe I actually feel free for the first time to actually make my own art,” she continued. “My heart craves justice and at the same time, a desire to help bring the people who are hurting and lost comfort — not only my world got flipped upside down these past few years, and I want to bring those people hope. I am so tired of the division and hatred. Bring back treating each other like human beings again.”
After the judge issued her ruling, Carano also celebrated online, writing:
I am moved to tears. After a brutal 3 1/2 years, I am being given the opportunity to move forward in the court of law before the judge and my peers to clear my name. I am so grateful for this opportunity. What happened to me was unacceptable, absurd and abusive, among other things. It should not have happened to me, and it should not happen to anyone else moving forward.
Let it stop here. I quite literally fought to get to where I got to in my career through intense ups and downs, and I’ll keep up that fight to continue doing what I love. I appreciate all of you who stood by me and defended me, and I am so sorry that similar situations have happened to some of you. I want you to know that I see you and I stand with you.
Carano thanked Musk, then cited an interview she did with Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro in February 2021: “At my lowest point. I was wounded and in so much pain, but I feel that pain lifting now. … God’s given me the ability to take some punches and give some back. My feet are on solid ground. Imagine what your voice can do.”
In the 2021 interview, Carano stated, “I read this somewhere. It’s like, ‘Don’t try to ruin my life with lies when your life can be ruined with the truth.’ You got billion-dollar companies raining down on me from every different place. And do I really even need to say anything? You’re showing it. You’re showing what you do to people. You’re showing you don’t give them a voice, you’re showing them you’re not gonna listen; you’re not going to see a person past what you read in a very skewed article. You’re showing what bullies you are against one voice here. One. … This is what they’re afraid of. They’re afraid of one voice. Imagine.”
“the court DENIES defendants motion.”
I am moved to tears. After a brutal 3 1/2 years, I am being given the opportunity to move forward in the court of law before the judge and my peers to clear my name. I am so grateful for this opportunity.
What happened to me was… pic.twitter.com/q7r3MLhCEr
— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) July 25, 2024
“Notably, not only does this spell trouble for Disney on a legal and reputational level, but it also opens them up to the process of discovery,” Bounding Into Comics noted.
Katie Jerkovich contributed to this article.
“}]]
