Appellate Court Orders Dismissal of Dan Schneider Defamation Suit

Foley Hoag, with co-counsel from Gibson Dunn and Greenberg Traurig, represented Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony Pictures Television and the makers of the docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV in an appeal of a defamation lawsuit brought by former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider. Schneider alleged that the documentary falsely implied he was a sexual predator. He filed suit in May 2024 and the defendants promptly moved under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, arguing the complaint failed to identify any defamatory statement on its face or allege facts showing that the isolated scenes Schneider challenged reasonably supported the alleged defamatory implication or were published with actual malice. The trial court denied the anti-SLAPP motion, and Foley Hoag appealed, contending that permitting the claim to proceed would violate the First Amendment, encourage retaliatory litigation against protected speech, and chill investigative reporting on matters of public concern. In a unanimous decision, the California Court of Appeal reversed the lower court’s ruling and ordered dismissal of the action. The appellate court held that, when considered in its full context, the docuseries did not give rise to a defamatory implication. The court emphasized that the series clearly distinguished allegations concerning Schneider’s workplace misconduct from the child sexual abuse committed by other individuals discussed in the documentary, and that the documentary expressly informed viewers that an investigation into Schneider’s conduct found no evidence of child sexual abuse. Foley Hoag represented Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony Pictures Television and the makers of the docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV with a team composed by: Michael Grygiel, Kelly McNamee and Christina Hernsdorf. The Foley Hoag team was recognized as a Litigation Daily Litigator of the Week Runner-Up for the victory. Gibson Dunn and Greenberg Traurig acted as co-counsel alongside Foley Hoag for the defendants.

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Appellate Court Orders Dismissal of Dan Schneider Defamation Suit

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Appellate Court Orders Dismissal of Dan Schneider Defamation Suit

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