Netflix settles The Queen’s Gambit defamation suit with chess grandmaster Nona Gaprindashvili
- Gaprindashvili – the first female grandmaster in ches history – filed a $5 million lawsuit against Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit in September 2021
- She claims the show defamed her for a line in the show’s finale that claimed she had never played against men.
- In fact, she had faced 58 male competitors in 1968, the year the series was set in
- Netflix filed to have the lawsuit dismissed, but a judge upheld the lawsuit in January, which lead to the settlement
- No settlement details were disclosed at this time
Netflix has brought an end to a nearly year-long legal battle over their hit mini-series The Queen’s Gambit.
The streaming service was sued in mid-September 2021 by Nona Gaprindashvili – the first woman ever to be named a ‘grandmaster’ of chess in 1978.
She was seeking $5 million in the defamation lawsuit, which was settled on Tuesday, according to Variety.
End: Netflix has brought an end to a nearly year-long legal battle over their hit mini-series The Queen’s Gambit
Grandmaster: The streaming service was sued in mid-September 2021 by Nona Gaprindashvili – the first woman ever to be named a ‘grandmaster’ of chess in 1978
No details about the settlement terms were disclosed, though attorneys for both sides confirmed the settlement.
‘The parties are pleased that the matter has been resolved,” said attorney Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, who represented Gaprindashvili.
‘We are pleased the matter has been resolved,’ a Netflix spokesperson added in a brief statement.
Spokesperson: ‘We are pleased the matter has been resolved,’ a Netflix spokesperson added in a brief statement
Gaprindashvili was mentioned in the final episode of The Queen’s Gambit, which follows the fictional chess exploits of Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy).
The last episode shows Harmon defeating a male competitor at a tournament in Moscow, with a commentator stating that her opponent underestimated her.
‘The only unusual thing about her, really, is her sex. And even that’s not unique in Russia. There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, but she’s the female world champion and she has never faced men, ‘the announcer said.
Beth: Gaprindashvili was mentioned in the final episode of The Queen’s Gambit, which follows the fictional chess exploits of Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy)
Unusual: ‘The only unusual thing about her, really, is her sex. And even that’s not unique in Russia. There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, but she’s the female world champion and she has never faced men, ‘the announcer said
However, in reality, Gaprindashvili had actually faced 59 male competitors in 1968, the year the series was set.
The lawsuit she filed last September stated the announcer’s line in the show was, ‘manifestly false, as well as being grossly sexist and belittling.’
Netflix filed to have the lawsuit dismissed, claiming the show’s creators had license to change things under the First Amendment.
Competitors: However, in reality, Gaprindashvili had actually faced 59 male competitors in 1968, the year the series was set
However, US District Judge Virginia A. Phillips disagreed, finding that Gaprindashvili had made a plausible argument that she was defamed, in a ruling from January.
‘Netflix does not cite, and the Court is not aware, of any cases precluding defamation claims for the portrayal of real persons in otherwise fictional works,’ the judge wrote.
‘The fact that the Series was a fictional work does not insulate Netflix from liability for defense if all the elements of defamation are otherwise present,’ Phillips added.
Defamed: However, US District Judge Virginia A. Phillips disagreed, finding that Gaprindashvili had made a plausible argument that she was defamed, in a ruling from January
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