Netflix could be sued for its multi-award winning series with The Leader, writes diverse. With the Leader, it is based on Walter Teves’ 1983 novel and accompanies a fictional American character, Beth Harmon (mother Taylor Joy), from his tragic childhood until he became a world chess champion in the 1960s.
Chess star Nonna Gabrindasvili sued Netflix in September 2021. Georgian excellence challenged a series of references in the series. In the final episode in Moscow, Harmon defeated a male competitor. A chess announcer explains that his opponent underestimated him:
In our opinion, Elizabeth Harmon is not an important player. His gender alone is unusual. But this is not surprising in Russia. There is Nonna Gabrindsvili, but she is the world champion in women, and she has never played against men.
This statement contradicts the facts. Gaprindasvili competed with the guys, defeating a good pair at chess. The Chess Lady sued for a statement that she “considered a devastating lie that undermined and humiliated her accomplishments in front of millions of people,” and the court upheld her claim.
Netflix argued that the series is a work of fiction and that US law grants creators a high level of artistic freedom, but they wanted to respect them by mentioning the chess legend rather than undermining its merits.
In contrast, Federal Judge Virginia Phillips of Southern California ruled that the Netflix series, with this statement, builds on Harmon’s fictitious performance while destroying Gaprindasvili’s real performance. The judge also stressed that literary works are not protected from defamation lawsuits if real people are defamed.
(Cover image: A scene from the series. Charlie Gray/Netflix)
