Federal Judge Virginia Phillips reasoned that “the fact that the series is a work of fiction does not relieve Netflix of liability for defamation.” Nona Gaprindashvili sued Netflix for five million dollars (around 4.24 million euros) in the fall.
According to the complaint that Gaprindashvili filed, the portrayal of her person was “sexist and degrading”. A character’s claim that the Georgian has never played against men in chess tournaments is “proven to be false”. The 80-year-old played against dozens of male competitors in 1968, the year the series is set. To make matters worse, Gaprindashvili was described in the “Queen’s Gambit” as Russian instead of Georgian.
Netflix’s lawyers had tried to dismiss the lawsuit on the grounds that the allegation in the series was protected by freedom of expression.
Source: Nachrichten
