Duluth resident and stand-up comic Mo’Nique has settled a 2019 discrimination lawsuit with Netflix where she argued she was given a low-ball offer by the streaming service in 2017 in part because she is a Black woman.
The Hollywood Reporter said both sides Tuesday moved to dismiss the suit, according to a court filing. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. “The matter has been amicably resolved,” Mo’Nique’s attorney Michael W. Parks said in a statement provided to the publication. Netflix has not commented.
In her initial lawsuit, Mo’Nique said Netflix first offered her $500,000 for a one-hour special in which Netflix owned all rights to the content. She rejected it and once she publicized the issue, Netflix walked away from negotiations.
“The offer made to Mo’Nique was merely an ‘opening offer’ from which there was an expectation — both by Netflix and Mo’Nique — of continued negotiations likely leading to increased compensation being offered to Mo’Nique,” her lawsuit said. “Once Mo’Nique engaged in protected conduct by protesting the discriminatory offer, Netflix shut down any further negotiations and refused to negotiate in good-faith consistent with its standard practices.”
She said Netflix systematically underpaid Black women, noting much larger payouts to Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Amy Schumer. She called for a boycott of the streaming service.
“Netflix is one of Hollywood’s most innovative companies, yet it not only perpetuates racial and gender inequality. It also takes advantage of a gender pay gap that disproportionately affects Black women,” said Michael W. Parks, Mo’Nique’s attorney, in a statement in 2019. “When Mo’Nique, one of the most well-known Black female comedians in America, faced that anachronistic attitude, she knew it was time to challenge the status quo.”
At the time, Netflix released a statement: “We believe our opening offer to Mo’Nique was fair — which is why we will be fighting this lawsuit.”
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