Dan Schneider sues Quiet on Set for defamation and falsely implying he sexually abused children on his TV shows. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Former Nickelodeon producer and writer Dan Schneider has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
According to the lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Schneider described his portrayal in Quiet on Set as a “hit job”.
The five-part docuseries implies that Schneider “sextually abused the children who worked on his television shows”, which the former producer claims is false.
The docuseries, which gained massive traction after it aired in March, alleged that Schneider tolerated a hostile working environment and humiliated the crew on his TV sets.
Among the allegations were claims made by female writers who said they went through sexists hazings in Schneider’s writing rooms.
Schneider made a 19-mintue apology YouTube video following the docuseries, where he acknowledged his mistakes during his time at Nickelodeon and admitted to making “practical jokes that went too far” due to his immaturity and “inexperience”.
He claims, however, that “he had no choice but to take legal action” against the docuseries that “went beyond the truth” regarding his involvement with “horrific crimes [for] which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted”.
Brain Peck and Jason Handy, both convicted child abusers, worked on Schneider’s shows, according to the docuseries.
In one episode, The Amanda Show and Drake and Josh star Drake Bell came forward on the docuseries to speak about the sexual abuse he experienced in Peck’s sexual assault case.
Schneider’s legal team claimed, obtained by magazine Varity, that “Schneider had no knowledge of their abuse, was not complicit in the abuse, condemned the abuse once it was discovered and, critically, was not a child sexual abuser himself”.
“But for the sake of clickbait, ratings, and views — or put differently, money — defendants have destroyed Schneider’s reputation and legacy through the false statements and implications that Schneider is exactly that.”
The lawsuit specifically claimed Quiet on Set’s manipulative use of editing, graphics, and voiceovers were “purposefully and intentionally defamatory”.
The lawsuit was filed against Warner Bros Discover, Maxine Productions, and Sony Pictures as well as two producers.
Schneider’s legal team calls for Quiet on Set and its trailer to be revised or taken down.
Investigation Discovery did not respond to requests for comment.
