Netflix settles ‘Queen’s Gambit’ defamation suit brought by Soviet chess grandmaster
Netflix has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a Georgian chess master who alleged that she was defamed in an episode of “The Queen’s Gambit.” Nona Gaprindashv
Netflix has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a Georgian chess master who alleged that she was defamed in an episode of “The Queen’s Gambit.”
Nona Gaprindashvili argued that her accomplishments were disparaged when a chess announcer in the Netflix series wrongly stated that she had “never faced men.” In fact, Gaprindashvili had faced 59 male competitors by 1968, the year in which the series was set.
Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon in "The Queen's Gambit."Charlie Gray / NetflixNetflix had tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, claiming that the show’s creators had broad license under the First Amendment. But in January a federal judge rejected that argument, holding that fictional works are not immune from lawsuits if they defame real people.
Netflix appealed the ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, but on Tuesday the case was dismissed.
“The parties are pleased that the matter has been resolved,” said attorney Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, who represented Gaprindashvili.
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