Disney and Lucasfilm Issue Statement, Express Hope to ‘Work Together’ with Actress in the Future
Disney has settled its legal dispute with actress Gina Carano, who sued the media giant after being fired from the hit series “The Mandalorian.” The settlement, announced in a federal court filing in Los Angeles on August 7, brings an end to a case where Carano alleged she was terminated for her conservative political speech.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, and court documents state the case has been dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be refiled. Both Disney and Carano confirmed the agreement through separate statements.
In a joint statement, The Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm did not apologize to Carano but said she “was always well respected by her directors, co-stars and staff.” The statement also noted, “With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.”
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Carano, in a post on X.com, confirmed the settlement and thanked X owner Elon Musk for financially backing her lawsuit. “I hope this brings some healing to the force,” she wrote, adding that she is “excited to flip the page and move onto the next chapter.”
The settlement comes four months after a federal judge granted Carano access to Disney’s financial and payroll information, including contracts for prominent actors like Pedro Pascal and Diego Luna.
Carano sought this information to support her claims of gender discrimination and to calculate potential lost wages, arguing she was treated differently than male co-stars who also expressed political views online.
Carano’s lawsuit, filed more than two years ago, accused Disney of violating California’s political discrimination law. She asserted that her firing in February 2021 was retaliation for her online speech, which included questioning the validity of the 2020 presidential election, expressing opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement, and refusing to include pronouns in her social media bio.
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Disney had claimed she was “denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities.”
Prior to the settlement, a federal judge had rejected Disney’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, calling the company’s interpretation of the First Amendment “dangerous” and noting it could give corporations vast power to police workers’ political views.
The dismissal of the lawsuit marks the end of a high-profile legal battle that captivated audiences and raised significant questions about free speech, corporate policies, and political expression in Hollywood.
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