A California appeals court this week sided with the producers of the controversial “Quiet on Set” docuseries after years of legal strife with subject and ex-Nickelodeon TV producer Dan Schneider.
Three appeals court judges on Thursday signed an opinion granting the”Quiet on Set” producers’ motion to strike Schneider’s defamation suit in its entirety, reversing a November 2024 decision, according to a court document reviewed by The Times. Schneider sued “Quiet on Set” producers Warner Bros. Discovery, Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television for defamation in May 2024, months after the docuseries illuminated damning allegations of sexual abuse and discrimination that occurred on the sets of Schneider’s shows, including “Drake & Josh” and “iCarly.”
When Schneider filed his lawsuit, he alleged the studios and producers “falsely state or imply” in the docuseries that he “sexually abused the children who worked on his television shows.” At the time, he dismissed the allegations as “fabrications.” His complaint also took issue with alleged defamatory edits, promotional material that touted the program as a “True Crime Event,” and the series’ alleged “conflation” of him with two convicted sex offenders who worked on Nickelodeon shows.
The defendants, including “Quiet on Set” producers Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, triumphed under California’s anti-SLAPP law, which protects against frivolous lawsuits. In Thursday’s opinion, the appeals court judges ruled the docuseries “clearly distinguishes between the lamentable conduct that its participants attribute to Schneider — gender discrimination, harassment, toxic workplace behavior, and inappropriate sexual innuendo — and the child sexual abuse explicitly attributed to three named individuals, two of whom are discussed at length.”
“Schneider’s attempt to find an alternative meaning than what is expressly stated in the documentary is unavailing,” the judges add.
Gerry Silver, Schneider’s attorney, said on Friday in a statement to The Times that the former producer’s team is “disappointed” by Thursday’s decision and is considering “options for further review and appeal.”
“However we are pleased that the Court acknowledged that the makers of ‘Quiet on Set’ presented absolutely no evidence that Dan was sexually abusive towards any of his cast members and agreed that any such allegation is provably false,” Silver said.
Legal representatives for the “Quiet on Set” producers did not immediately respond on Friday to The Times’ request for comment.
Robertson and Schwartz, in a joint statement to Variety, said they are “grateful” for the ruling, which they said protects the “constitutional rights of filmmakers and journalists to report without fear on important and difficult issues.” The pair of producers also expressed pride in the “continued impact” of “Quiet on Set” and its recent mention in Congress as part of a push to introduce legislation to protect child actors.
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