Dan Schneider scored a legal win after a judge ruled that his defamation lawsuit against Investigation Discovery’s Quiet On Set can move forward.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled earlier this month that Schneider, 58, can proceed with his lawsuit. Judge Ashfaq G. Chowdhury also denied an attempt by Warner Bros Discovery and Maxine Productions to get the lawsuit thrown out.
“This is manifestly not a case brought by Schneider on frivolous grounds, simply to harass defendants,” read the court ruling, according to Deadline. “He’s 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.”
Chowdhury agreed with Schneider and his legal team that defamation “can be implied” based on the trailer and docuseries implying “Schneider sexually abused children who worked on his show and that Schneider was a child sexual abuser.”
Schneider originally filed the lawsuit in March for unspecified damages. In the paperwork, Schneider called Quiet on Set a “hit job” that destroyed his “legacy and reputation.”
“Recently the docuseries Quiet on Set highlighted mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon, most of which happened decades ago during my early career as a producer, working on shows for Tollin/Robbins Productions,” read a statement from the producer. “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.”
Schneider made headlines when Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV aired on Investigation Discovery earlier this year. The docuseries covered Schneider’s time at the network, with former child stars and crew members recalling their experiences on the sets of various shows including All That and The Amanda Show.
Schneider, who parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018, previously denied inappropriate conduct allegations. He has since addressed the allegations made by cast members, All That writers and journalists against him in the docuseries.
“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult,” Schneider said in a YouTube video interview with iCarly alum BooG!e in March. “Me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret, and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”
Schneider admitted he had regrets about his behavior, adding, “I can tell you why it hurts really bad for me. I remember very clearly my early experiences [and] my first experiences in the entertainment business. I was green, I was scared, I was excited. It meant the world to me that I was getting those opportunities and I went in and I got lucky cause they were great. And the fact that I didn’t pay that forward to every employee that walked through my door, it hurts my heart cause I should have. I wish I could go back and fix that.”
After the docuseries made waves, directors Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz exclusively told Us Weekly what they hoped the public took away from Quiet on Set.
“One of the goals of the series is to help spark a broader conversation around these issues. And I certainly know that there’s a lot more people with a lot more stories out there,” Schwartz shared in March. “And we would love to be able to keep telling those stories if more people want to speak and share.”
