Actor Gina Carano filed a lawsuit against Walt Disney on Tuesday, claiming unfair termination from the Star Wars series “The Mandalorian” and backed by entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Carano said in the lawsuit that she was fired in 2021 for expressing conservative views on social media networks such as Twitter, which is now owned by Musk and known as X.
“A short time ago in a galaxy not so far away, Defendants made it clear that only one orthodoxy in thought, speech, or action was acceptable in their empire,” says the case, which was filed in federal court in California.
She also accused sex discrimination, claiming that male celebrities who expressed their thoughts faced no penalties.
Carano, who played warrior Cara Dune, is asking the court to force Disney’s Lucasfilm business to reinstate her in the role. She is also seeking compensatory damages of up to $75,000, as well as mental suffering and punitive damages to be established at trial.
A Disney spokesman did not return a request for comment.
Musk, who hurled an expletive at Disney CEO Bob Iger in September after the firm dropped advertising on X, stated last year that he would pay legal action for users who faced punishment from employment for comments on the site.
“As a sign of X Corp’s commitment to free speech, we’re proud to provide financial support for Gina Carano’s lawsuit, empowering her to seek vindication of her free speech rights on X and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination,” said Joe Benarroch, the head of business operations for X Corp
Disney withdrew Carano from “The Mandalorian” due to social media posts that the corporation deemed “abhorrent and unacceptable” for “denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities.”
“Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers, but by their neighbours… even by children,” Carano said on Instagram, according to a Variety report at the time.
Carano also faced criticism for Twitter tweets in which she mocked mask-wearing during the pandemic and repeated unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, sparked outrage by liking an anti-Jewish post on X in September, forcing advertisers such as Disney to suspend investment on the platform.
