Three years ago Mo’Nique filed a discrimination lawsuit against Netflix after accusing them of paying her millions less than her white male peers, and people thought she would NEVER win.
Well she did. Media Take Out spoke with a person close to the case who tells us that Mo is receiving $50 million from Netflix, to settle.
The person familiar with the case explained, “Netflix agreed to pay for three comedy specials by Mo’Nique, and then a huge up front payment. In all, Mo is getting about $50 million.”
That’s a huge win – and one of the biggest legal wins for Black women seeking equal compensation in recent memory. The insider continued, “In a lot of ways, Mo’Nique is a trailblazer. She stood up to Netflix, not just for herself but for all Black women.”
“Netflix tried to shut her down, and tried to discredit her – using celebrities and people on their payroll, but Mo’Nique won,” The insider added.
“And Black women all over the world won. Mo hit [Netflix] in their pockets – and she hit them hard. Every other Hollywood company is seeing what happened here, and hopefully things can change for Black women.”
The settlement agreement contains a confidentiality provision – which prevents either Mo’Nique or Netflix from disclosing the amount of Mo’s payment, Media Take Out was told.
Mo’Nique’s 2019 suit alleged that “Netflix’s treatment of Mo’Nique began with a discriminatory low-ball offer and ended with a blacklisting act of retaliation.”
Netflix tried to get the case dismissed, but the judge ruled in Mo’Nique’s favor.
In rejecting Netflix’s motion to dismiss, Judge Andre Birotte Jr. said yesterday, “Mo’Nique plausibly alleges that, after she spoke out and called her initial offer discriminatory, Netflix retaliated against her by shutting down its standard practice of negotiating in good faith that typically results in increased monetary compensation beyond the ‘opening offer’ and denying her increased compensation as a result” (Read the full ruling here).
“While Netflix argues that the novelty of Mo’Nique’s claim and the absence of on-point legal authority for it should bar her retaliation claims outright, the Court disagrees,” the U.S. District Court judge added in a slap to the streamer.
