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Defamation Suit Against Netflix Can Proceed Over 'Queen's Gambit'

By Marianna Wharry
March 01, 2022

A former chess grandmaster's suit against Netflix alleging that the streaming service's show The Queen's Gambit defamed her will continue in federal court, a Los Angeles federal judge ruled. Gaprindashvili v. Netflix Inc., 2:21-cv-07408.

Georgian chess player Nona Gaprindashvili, 80, filed a complaint in September 2021 alleging that Netflix made false statements about her in the popular Netflix show. Gaprindashvili is considered a pioneer of women's chess, and the first woman to achieve the status of international chess grandmaster among men, according to the complaint. She is seeking $5 million in damages.

Central District of California Judge Virginia A. Phillips denied Netflix's motions to dismiss and to strike the lawsuit, saying that the fact the series is a fictional work does not protect Netflix from liability for defamation if all the elements of defamation are otherwise present.

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