Judge Allows Mo’Nique To Move Forward In Racial, Gender Bias Lawsuit Against Netflix
Mo’Nique has won a major victory against Netflix as U.S. District Judge Andrew Birotte Jr. is now allowing her to move forward with her racial and gender bias lawsuit, initially filed in 2019.
On Thursday, the federal court judge ruled that she “plausibly” alleged the streaming service illegally retaliated against her after she rejected their attempt to “lowball” her with a $500,000 opening offer for a stand-up comedy special in 2017.
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Judge Birotte Jr. says, “While Netflix argues that the novelty of Mo’Nique’s claim and the absence of on-point legal authority for it should bar her retaliation claims outright, the Court disagrees. Regardless of whether plaintiff will ultimately prevail on (her) claims, dismissing this case under Rule 12(b)(6) is not appropriate. Plaintiff’s complaint may raise a novel issue, but that does not justify dismissing it at this stage.”
In her suit, Mo’Nique compares the $500,000 offer against the tens of millions presented to fellow comics Amy Schumer, Ricky Gervais, Ellen DeGeneres and Dave Chappelle — who all have specials on the on-demand streaming platform.
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