Dan Schneider Allowed to Pursue Defamation Suit Over ‘Quiet on Set’ Documentary

variety.com:

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A judge has allowed showrunner Dan Schneider to proceed with his defamation lawsuit over the documentary “Quiet on Set,” which delved into sexual misconduct at Nickelodeon.

Schneider, the creator of numerous Nickelodeon shows across two decades, called the documentary a “hit job,” saying it falsely suggested either that he was a sexual abuser or was aware that two sexual abusers had been hired on his shows.

In a ruling issued Friday, Judge Ashfaq G. Chowdhury found that Schneider’s claims are not frivolous, and that a “reasonable viewer” might conclude that the documentary makes “damning implications about his conduct.” The judge denied a motion filed by attorneys for Warner Bros.

and Sony, which had sought to throw out the suit under the state anti-SLAPP statute, which bars litigation intended to chill speech on matters of public concern.