By Elon Musk’s company X is funding a new lawsuit filed by actor Gina Carano over her firing from the Disney+ streaming TV series “The Mandalorian” after she shared a controversial social media post.
Carano sued Disney and its Lucasfilm subsidiary in Los Angeles federal court over her termination from the Star Wars franchise series in February 2021.
The suit, which alleges wrongful discharge and sex discrimination, seeks Carano’s reinstatement in “The Mandalorian,” and monetary damages for the loss of her past pay and her future employment as a result of her termination.
Carano was booted from the series after she shared a post on Instagram and TikTok that implied conservatives in the U.S. were being treated like Jewish people in Nazi Germany.
The actor previously had sparked online backlash for her posts on X, formerly Twitter, for criticizing Covid-19 lockdowns and mask mandates, for updating her Twitter bio with the words “beep/bop/boop” and for criticizing Black Lives Matter protestors.
Musk in August had said that X would fund the legal bills of X users “if you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform.”
Carano in an X post Tuesday said she had responded on X to that offer by Musk, and “to my surprise” she was contacted by a lawyer for the company, which eventually agreed to finance her suit.
“I would like to express my deepest gratitude & thank you to @ElonMusk & @X for giving me an opportunity to bring my case to light,” Carano tweeted.
Her lawsuit begins, “A short time ago in a galaxy not so far away, Defendants made it clear that only one orthodoxy in thought, speech, or action was acceptable in their empire, and that those who dared to question or failed to fully comply would not be tolerated.”
“And so it was with Carano. After two highly acclaimed seasons on The Mandalorian as Rebel ranger Cara Dune, Carano was terminated from her role as swiftly as her character’s peaceful home planet of Alderaan had been destroyed by the Death Star in an earlier Star Wars film,” the suit said.
“And all this because she dared voice her own opinions, on social media platforms and elsewhere, and stood up to the online bully mob who demanded her compliance with their extreme progressive ideology.”
X in a tweeted response Tuesday to Carano’s own post about the lawsuit said, “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.”
CNBC has requested comment from Disney.
When Carano was fired, Lucasfilm in a statement said, “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future.”
“Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable,” Lucasfilm said.
This is breaking news. Check back for updates.
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