Schneider sues ‘Quiet on Set’ producers
Show falsely implied he was a predator, he says
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Dan Schneider, one of the subjects of a documentary delving behind the scenes of children’s television on Nickelodeon, is taking legal action against the documentary’s producers.
According to a complaint filed in Los Angeles County, Schneider is suing the producers of the show “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” for making false statements and implications about him. Schneider claims that the show repeatedly makes it seem like he was the one who committed crimes of child sexual abuse instead of the people who were convicted of those crimes.
Schneider said in a statement, “I have no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss, but it is wrong to mislead millions of people to the false conclusion that I was in any way involved in heinous acts like those committed by child predators.”
What does ‘Quiet on Set’ say?
The first two episodes delve into a history of Schneider’s rise to the top while working at Nickelodeon in the late 1990s and 2000s.
Both writers and actors say in the documentary that Schneider was unapproachable and created a work environment that was friendly on the surface but tense underneath. Interviewees recall Schneider making jokes for people to do things that never really felt like jokes but instead felt like commands.
Nickelodeon launched an internal investigation into Schneider which ultimately ended with the network paying him $7 million to end their contract in 2018. According to Kate Taylor, a reporter for Business Insider, there were no instances of child sexual abuse found, but the investigation did find evidence of abuse to others in the workplace.
Schneider responded to the documentary when he published a video discussing the allegations with former “iCarly” cast member Bobby Newman. He apologized for his behavior toward some of his colleagues while working on the show.
Who is Schneider suing?
Schneider is suing Warner Brothers Discovery Inc., Maxine Productions, Pictures Television Inc., Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz. The three companies were all involved in the production of the documentary, and Robertson and Schwartz wrote, directed, produced and edited the documentary and its trailer.
Schneider is suing because the defendants, “falsely state or imply that Schneider sexually abused the children who worked on his television shows,” according to the complaint. Schneider never did and never was convicted of sexually abusing any child, and that the implication he did so is defamatory, the complaint said.
The main claims Schneider and his team make against the defendants are:
The trailer and show, which were widely disseminated, clearly concerned Schneider and falsely implied that he is a criminal and a child sexual abuser.
The first episode falsely and intentionally states and/or implies that Schneider sexually abused children who worked on his shows.
The second episode states and/or implies that, like convicted felons Jason Handy and Brian Peck, Schneider too was a child sexual abuser.
The fifth episode falsely states and/ or implies that Schneider is a convicted child molester and allowed them on set.
The defendants knew their implications were false when producing the show.
Does Schneider have legal standing in suing for defamation?
There is reason for Schneider making this case against the defendants. California law recognizes that “a defamatory statement can be either expressly stated or implied.”
“After seeing ‘Quiet on Set’ and its trailer, and the reactions to them, I sadly have no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it. In their successful attempt to mislead viewers and increase ratings, they went beyond reporting the truth and falsely implied that I was involved in or facilitated horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted,” Schneider said in a statement.
The complaint said the trailer is defamatory in that it was intended to and did falsely state or imply that Schneider is a child sexual abuser and committed crimes. Schneider’s complaint details a to-the-minute list of instances where the trailer and show create situations where the average viewer would be misled to believe that Schneider is a child sexual abuser.
The document references the trailer and show not naming anyone but Schneider and then talking about child sexual abuse cases which would lead viewers to think Schneider committed those crimes.
There were similar instances, the complaint said, where crimes were being explained in a voice-over while the video showed an image of Schneider with some cast members.
The document goes on to reference the public’s reaction to watching the documentary. Comments on the trailer on YouTube and in general on X condemn Schneider for being a predator. Examples include a user on X saying “Dan Schneider was the Harvey Weinstein of Nickelodeon.”
What does Schneider want?
The complaint reasons that there were a number of ways the documentary could have phrased or worded things while airing to not make it seem like Schneider was guilty of child sexual assault. The document said that the defendants could have made it clear in the first episodes that Schneider did not commit any sexual abuse of any child and that he was not charged with nor committed any crimes.
“The harm to Schneider’s reputation, career, and business, to say nothing of his own overwhelming emotional distress, cannot be understated,” the complaint said.
Schneider is seeking an amount to be determined at trial for the following:
For compensatory damages relating to past and future loss, past and future economic loss, damage to reputation, damages to business, lost revenues, other economic injury and emotional distress damages.
For preliminary or permanent injunctive relief, including editing, taking down or removing all or a portion of the trailer and/or “Quiet on Set.”
For reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs as allowable by law.
For punitive damages.
For such other and further relief as the court deems just and proper.