Former Disney actress Gina Carano can move forward with a lawsuit against her old employer for wrongful termination over her political views, a Los Angeles federal judge ruled Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett denied Disney’s previous motion to dismiss the case, writing that it had "failed to set forth an ‘impenetrable defense’ under the First Amendment."
Carano has accused the company of firing her over "refusing to support movements and ideologies with which she did not agree," including Black Lives Matter, COVID lockdowns and sharing pronouns.
Disney argued in the motion that the company had a right to disassociate with Carano based on her not conveying the company’s values. Judge Garnett ruled Disney did not provide substantial evidence to prove actors were hired or fired based on promoting the company's values.
"Defendants have not identified any evidence — in the Complaint or otherwise — to substantiate a claim that they employ public-facing actors for the purpose of promoting the ‘values of respect,’ ‘decency,’ ‘integrity,’ or ‘inclusion.’ Accordingly, Defendants’ invocation of the supposedly detrimental effects of Plaintiff’s ‘mere presence’ as one of Defendants’ employees lacks constitutional import," Garnett wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to Disney for a comment.
Carano, who previously starred in the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian," celebrated the decision in an X post following the dismissal.
"I am moved to tears. After a brutal 3 1/2 years, I am being given the opportunity to move forward in the court of law before the judge and my peers to clear my name. I am so grateful for this opportunity. What happened to me was unacceptable, absurd and abusive, among other things. It should not have happened to me, and it should not happen to anyone else moving forward. Let it stop here," Carano wrote.
She continued, "I quite literally fought to get to where I got to in my career through intense ups and downs, and I’ll keep up that fight to continue doing what I love. I appreciate all of you who stood by me and defended me, and I am so sorry that similar situations have happened to some of you. I want you to know that I see you and I stand with you."
She also thanked X owner Elon Musk, who has funded the lawsuit since it was announced back in February.
"The online platform is proud to provide financial support for 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," a statement from X Corp. said at the time.
Carano was fired in 2021 after she faced public backlash for an Instagram post she shared that likened the experience of Jewish people during the Holocaust to the U.S. political divide.
"Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…even by children. 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. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views," read the post, which was originally created by another account.
