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Gina Carano claims she was subjected to a ‘bullying smear campaign’ over social media posts
Actress Gina Carano sued Disney and Lucasfilm after she was fired in 2021 over a social media post comparing being a Republican to being Jewish during the Holocaust.
The lawsuit is being sponsored by Elon Musk, who put out a call for people to join the lawsuit on his platform X.
Ms Carano is seeking $75,000 (£60,000) in damages. She is also asking the court to force Lucasfilm to recast.
Representatives for the defendants could not be reached for comment.
Carano, 41, a former MMA fighter, played Cara Dune in the first two seasons of the Disney+ show “The Mandalorian.”
During that time, she frequently tangled with leftists online.
But in February 2021, critics called for her removal after she shared a post on her Instagram account that equated the persecution of Jews by the Nazis with the political climate facing Republicans today. .
“Because history has been edited, most people today believe that in order to make it easier for Nazi soldiers to round up thousands of Jews, the government first made them hate their neighbors just because they were Jews. You don’t understand what you did,” the post reads.
“How is that different from hating someone because of their political views?”
On the same day, Carano was also fired by Lucasfilm, the show’s production company, and UTA, the talent agency that had represented her for almost two years.
“Her social media posts that denigrate people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable,” a Lucasfilm spokesperson said in a statement at the time.
UTA is not named in Tuesday’s court filing, which alleges the Walt Disney Company was responsible for firing her.
of 59 pages of civil litigationThe lawsuit, filed in California federal court, lays out claims of wrongful termination and retaliation in a story filled with Star Wars references.
“Some time ago, in a galaxy not far away, the Defendants made it clear that the only orthodoxy in thought, speech, and action was accepted in their empire, and that those who dared to question or disobey fully would not be tolerated. “I did,” the complaint begins.
Carano claims she was fired “because she dared to express her opinions and stand up to a group of online bullies who demanded that she conform to an extremely progressive ideology.”
The suit alleges that the actress was treated differently than her two male co-stars, who wrote and shared posts online that smeared Republicans as Nazis and faced no punishment. .
In a lengthy statement about
“As artists, we do not give up our rights as American citizens when we take a job,” she added, thanking Musk and those who supported her.
The billionaire shared her statement and wrote, “If you would like to join the lawsuit against Disney, please let me know.”
Musk previously vowed to financially support people facing discrimination in his posts on X.
A spokesperson for her company said in a statement that it was “proud” to support Carano’s lawsuit as part of its commitment to free speech.