lawsuits

Court Allows Mo’Nique’s Discrimination Lawsuit Against Netflix to Move Forward

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A federal judge has denied Netflix’s second motion to throw out comedian and Oscar winning actress Mo’Nique’s race and gender discrimination lawsuit against the company, per Deadline. She says the $500,000 she was offered for a stand-up special in 2017 was nowhere near enough compared to other comedians, perpetuating the wage gap Black women endure. Her filing cites tens of millions reported paid to Amy Schumer, Ricky Gervais, Dave Chappelle, and more. “Netflix’s treatment of Mo’Nique began with a discriminatory low-ball offer and ended with a blacklisting act of retaliation,” the suit reads, per Deadline. The court sees her point. “Mo’Nique plausibly alleges that, after she spoke out and called her initial offer discriminatory, Netflix retaliated against her by shutting down its standard practice of negotiating in good faith that typically results in increased monetary compensation beyond the ‘opening offer’ and denying her increased compensation as a result,” Judge Andre Birotte Jr. said in the ruling. Mo’Nique has previously discussed how the lawsuit isn’t just to get what’s hers, it’s to make sure Netflix doesn’t do this to anyone else, either. “I had a choice to make: I could accept what I felt was pay discrimination or I could stand up for those who came before me and those who will come after me,” she wrote in an Instagram post announcing the suit in November 2019. “I chose to stand up.”

Court Allows Mo’Nique’s Discrimination Suit Against Netflix