American comedian Mo'Nique received approval from the court to go ahead with the lawsuit she filed against one of the most popular online streaming platform, Netflix.
A judge in Los Angeles' court refused claims from Netflix to let go of the comedian's discrimination lawsuit on July 16, which was regarding paying less on the basis of her color and gender.
According to the documents submitted in the court, the Oscar-winning performer accused Netflix of paying her less because of gender and racial discrimination. She felt exploited for working on stand-up special as other artists were paid more to perform similar special.
Reportedly, the 52-year-old comedian was valued $500,000 while others secured deals worth $20 million or above. In a statement, she mentioned that other performers who were offered more include white male or female comedians and black male comedians.
“In asking the court to dismiss Mo’Nique’s lawsuit, Netflix argued shutting down good-faith negotiations because she raised concerns about pay discrimination is not retaliation under the law. The court disagreed,” the Mo'Nique Show star's lawyer, David deRubertis said.
DeRubertis told further that today's decision is victorious for a talent like Mo'Nique who worked like other comedians. He further explained that people working in the entertainment business should consider pay discrimination carefully and support people who showed bravery to address discrimination.
According to the lawsuit against Netflix, the online streaming platform made a deal with white stand-up comedic Amy Schumer in 2017. The negotiation started from $11 million for a 60-minute special.
In fact, Ricky Gervais and Chris Rock were paid $20 million each for stand-up special, Jerry Seinfeld drew whopping $100 million for his interview series and two special, and Dave Chapelle also received $20 million for each special as he closes $60 million deal for three shows in 2016.
However, Mo’Nique told the Netflix authorities that the offer she received was prejudicial to which they retaliated and refused to negotiate further. The Almost Christmas actress wrote on her Instagram that she had an option to either take the underpayment which was discrimination or take a stand for upcoming black female comics.
Another lawyer of Mo'Nique, Michael Parks, highlighted Netflix being one of the most innovative platforms in Hollywood. However, even they fail to stop gender inequality and racial discrimination.
Parks further explained that it also has a negative impact on black women across the nation as it increases the "gender pay gap". In the end, Parks concluded that black women earn only 61 cents compared to white males who earn $1.