Netflix had the chance to publicly apologize to Nona Gaprindashvili. It didn't, and as a result faced a $5 million defamation lawsuit from the Georgian chess master, which it has now agreed to settle. Financial details weren't disclosed, per Deadline, though a lawyer for 81-year-old Gaprindashvili says Gaprindashvili's side is "pleased that the matter has been resolved," reports The Hollywood Reporter. Gaprindashvili had taken issue with the final episode of the Emmy-winning series The Queen's Gambit, in which a character incorrectly states that the female chess champion "never faced men." Calling the comment "manifestly false, as well as being grossly sexist and belittling," Gaprindashvili noted she had actually faced 59 male opponents, including 10 grandmasters, by 1968, when the series was set.
In seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed, Netflix argued series creators should have artistic freedom in a work of fiction. "Fictional works have no obligation to the truth," it said, per THR. It also noted the series featured a disclaimer, stating that "no depiction of actual persons or events is intended," per Variety. But a federal judge rejected that argument in January, noting viewers might still interpret the comment as factual. "A fictional work does not insulate Netflix from liability for defamation if all the elements of defamation are otherwise present," she wrote. Netflix had appealed to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which agreed to review the case before the settlement was announced Monday. Netflix now faces a defamation lawsuit over Inventing Anna. (More Netflix stories.)
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