Netflix has finally settled an ongoing lawsuit related to their massive 2021 hit series The Queen’s Gambit.
On Tuesday the streamer agreed to settlement terms with Georgian chess master Nona Gaprindashvili who alleged the show had defamed her. Gaprindashvili was seeking $5 million in damages claiming that the show included a “sexist and belittling” representation of her by suggesting that she had never competed against men.
Gaprindashvili has been a well-known chess maestro since the ‘60s. She became the first female player to achieve the rank of chess grandmaster, taking on some of the best male opposition for the time and beating them.
Right now it isn’t clear exactly what terms were agreed to in the settlement, but it is unlikely that Gaprindashvili got the full five million that she was seeking.
Back in January, Netflix attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed but was refused by a judge. During this hearing, the streamer claimed that the show was completely a work of fiction and in no way was there any intention to offend Gaprindashvili. When handing out his decision the judge noted that “works of fiction are not immune from defamation suits if they disparage real people.”
At the time, Netflix assured that it had a lot of respect for Gaprindashvili and her career, but would be fighting the lawsuit suggesting that the claim had no merit. The battle that continued on has now come to an end just eight months later.
If you haven’t yet seen the show that this lawsuit is centered around, Netflix’s The Queens Gambit is available to stream now.