Dan Schneider—who produced hit Nickelodeon shows like “Zoey 101” and “All That”—sued Warner Bros. and producers of the docuseries “Quiet on Set” for defamation, alleging the show that analyzed allegations of toxic workplace culture on Schneider’s shows was a “hit job” that defamed the producer.
Dan Schneider said the hit docuseries and its trailer “falsely implied” he played a role in ... [+]
In the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Schneider and his team allege the show was a “hit job” that falsely stated or implied that he “sexually abused the children who worked on his television shows.”
Schneider told Forbes in a statement that while he has “no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss … it is wrong to mislead millions of people to the false conclusion that I was in any way involved in heinous acts like those committed by child predators.”
Schneider—who apologized for his behavior after the docuseries aired—said he was left with “no choice but to take legal action” against the people behind the series, which he said “falsely implied” he played a role in “horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted.”
The suit seeks compensatory damages for past and future loss and damage to reputation, lost revenues and emotional distress; punitive damages; attorneys’ fees; and “preliminary or permanent injunctive relief, including editing, taking down or removing all or a portion of the Trailer and/or Quiet on Set.”
Forbes has reached out to Warner Bros. and Investigation Discovery, which aired the series, for comment.
“While it is indisputable that two bona fide child sexual abusers worked on Nickelodeon shows, it is likewise indisputable that Schneider had no knowledge of their abuse, was not complicit in the abuse, condemned the abuse once it was discovered and, critically, was not a child sexual abuser himself,” the lawsuit reads.