Gina Carano has been left feeling emotional after a significant victory in her legal case against Disney.
Carano, best known for her portrayal of Cara Dune in the popular Star Wars series The Mandalorian, was cut from the line-up after voicing her controversial political views.
Over three years ago, the 42-year-old actress published some comments about the political climate at the time - sharing a post that compared hatred against Republicans to that of Jews being persecuted in Nazi Germany.
Posting to her official Instagram account in February 2021, Carano shared a post that read: "Jews here beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors... even by children. Because history is edited, most people don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews.
"How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?"
The caption was paired with a black-and-white photo of a Jewish woman running away from a group of children who were attacking her.
Not only that, but the actress also received backlash on social media for divisive comments she'd made about the 2020 election, gender pronouns, and mask mandates during the 2020 pandemic.
In the wake of the backlash, the actress issued a statement in which she doubled down on her views, stating that it was "f****** wild" to expect everyone you meet to "agree with every belief you hold."
However, it seems as though both Disney and Lucasfilm were not impressed with Carano's remarks. In the end, they removed the actress from the series, announcing to fans that she would not be returning to reprise her iconic role.
"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," a LucasFilm spokesperson said in a statement. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."
Carano is now taking legal action against the company with the help of Telsa billionaire Elon Musk, who is allegedly providing financial aid to the star as she battles to get reinstated on the show.
As per the Guardian, Carano claims she was "harassed and defamed" for having right-wing opinions and refusing to conform to those held by Disney and Lucasfilm. She also alleged that her male counterparts were never reprimanded for their "derogatory statements" about Republicans.
The suit also refers to Disney and Lucasfilm as using "bullying, discriminatory, and retaliatory actions."
Carano is claiming wrongful discharge and sexual discrimination, seeking $75,000 in damages and a court order that would reinstate her on the hit series.
Disney worked to get the case dismissed, but in a major win against the media giant, a judge denied the motion.
According to a report by the New York Post, US District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, who was appointed to the bench by President Biden, rejected Disney’s claim Wednesday that it had a "right to dissociate its own artistic message from Carano’s outspoken ‘political beliefs.'"
Carano took to social media after the ruling, telling fans she was "moved to tears" over the decision.
“I am moved to tears,” Carano wrote on her official X account on Wednesday. "After a brutal 3 1/2 years, I am being given the opportunity to move forward in the court of law before the judge and my peers to clear my name.
"I am so grateful for this opportunity," she stated before adding: "What happened to me was unacceptable, absurd and abusive, among other things. It should not have happened to me, and it should not happen to anyone else moving forward. Let it stop here."
Read her full statement below:So far, there has not been any indication of when the case will have its time in court, but this win has clearly given the actress the push she needed to see it through.
