ADVERTISEMENT American actress Gina Carano has settled her federal lawsuit against Lucasfilm and its parent The Walt Disney Co. over her claim that she was fired from the hit show The Mandalorian in 2021 for expressing right-wing views on social media.
The specific terms of the agreement were not made available.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in California last year, alleged Carano – a former mixed martial artist who played the recurring character Cara Dune on the Star Wars galaxy Disney+ series – was wrongfully terminated after two seasons due to a post likening the treatment of American conservatives to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany.
“Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews,” her post read. “How is that any different from hating someone for their political views.”
Carano’s posts were widely criticized online and spurred a trending #FireGinaCarano hashtag.
The suit had alleged that the 43-year-old actress was fired because she “dared voice her own opinions” against an “online bully mob who demanded her compliance with their extreme progressive ideology.”
“Ms. Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars, and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect,” Lucasfilm said in a statement. “With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.”
The two sides stipulated in a federal court filing that the case should be dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can’t be refiled. A judge still needs to formally dismiss it.
The case had been scheduled to go to trial in Los Angeles in February of next year.
Carano thanked Elon Musk for helping fund the lawsuit “and asking for nothing in return.”
Indeed, we reported last year that Musk would be footing her legal bill.
“As a sign of X Corp.’s commitment to free speech, we’re proud to provide financial support for Gina Carano’s lawsuit, empowering her to seek vindication of her free speech rights on X and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination,” read a statement released by X’s head of business operations at the time.
A feature film starring Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is set for release next summer.
