Producer’s Defamation Suit Against ‘Quiet On Set’ Can Go Forward

Producer and screenwriter Dan Schneider can proceed with his lawsuit against the makers of “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” a judge in Los Angeles ruled on Friday.

Schneider’s suit, which was filed in May and listed Warner Bros. Discovery, Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television and others as defendants, claims that “‘Quiet on Set’s’ portrayal of Schneider is a hit job.” The five-part docuseries, which aired in March, investigated allegations of abuse and hostile working conditions that occurred at the popular children’s network Nickelodeon.

The defendants in the suit filed a motion in June claiming that Schneider’s lawsuit violates the anti-SLAPP statute, a special motion to dismiss a lawsuit that has been alleged to be an attack on free speech. (SLAPP stands for “strategic lawsuits against public participation.”)

However, Superior Court Judge Ashfaq G. Chowdhury ruled against the defendants’ motion. Chowdhury claimed Schneider’s suit had not been brought “on frivolous grounds, simply to harass defendants.”

Rather, Chowdhury ruled, Schneider is “suing Defendants about a documentary they made about him, that focuses on his activities, and, which a reasonable viewer might conclude makes damning implications about his conduct. This is all to say that this is not the type of baseless lawsuit ― one without “minimal merit” that the anti-SLAPP statute was designed to weed out.”

The network and Schneider are known for an assortment of children’s shows, including “All That,” “iCarly,” “Victorious,” “Drake & Josh,” “The Amanda Show,” “Zoey 101” and “Kenan and Kel.”

“Quiet on Set” documented claims by Nickelodeon employees about a hostile, sexist and racist workplace. Notably, Drake Bell, from Schneider’s “The Amanda Show” and “Drake & Josh,” said he was sexually abused as a minor by Brian Peck, his dialogue coach at the network.

The documentary also showed scenes in which Schneider appeared to be uncomfortably close to some of the young and underage female actors. In some instances, the child stars appeared to be visibly anxious about Schneider’s presence.

Nickelodeon and Schneider parted ways in 2018 following the network’s investigation into his “alleged sexual behavior.” (No sexual misconduct was discovered, but the investigation allegedly uncovered his verbal abuse, Business Insider reported.)

HuffPost previously obtained a copy of Schneider’s suit, in which he acknowledged that some of the claims made in the docuseries were true.

“At times, he was blind to the pain that some of his behaviors caused certain colleagues, subordinates, and cast members,” the lawsuit says. “He will regret and atone for this behavior the rest of his life. But one thing he is not — and the one thing that will forever mar his reputation and career both past and present — is a child sexual abuser.”

Schneider is seeking financial compensation in his lawsuit. He is also requesting that parts of the docuseries be edited or removed.

Schneider declined to provide additional comment to HuffPost on Monday. However, he previously told HuffPost that the docuseries “highlighted mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon. … There is no doubt that I was sometimes a bad leader. I am sincerely apologetic and regretful for that behavior, and I will continue to take accountability for it,” echoing the sentiment in the lawsuit.

“In their successful attempt to mislead viewers and increase ratings, they went beyond reporting the truth and falsely implied that I was involved in or facilitated horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted,” he added. “I have no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss, but 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.”

HuffPost reached out to several defendants in Schneider’s suit on Monday and did not immediately hear back.