LOS ANGELES — Embattled children’s television producer Dan Schneider, whose rise to fame guiding programming at Nickelodeon was chronicled in the recent docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday against the series producers, saying the show falsely implies that Schneider sexually abused children who worked on his various shows.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, which was submitted Wednesday but is still being processed by the court, names Warner Brothers Discovery, Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television and producers Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz of defamation. Representatives of those agencies could not be immediately released for comment.
“Quiet on Set,” released in March, focuses on the behind-the-scenes world of children’s television programming in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with former performers and staffers describing sometimes toxic work environments and — most seriously — sexual abuse charges ultimately filed against former Nickelodeon staffer Brian Peck and production assistant Jason Michael Handy.
The lawsuit dubs the series a “hit job” on Schneider.
“While it is indisputable that two bona fide child sexual abusers worked on Nickelodeon shows, it is likewise indisputable 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,” the lawsuit states. “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.”
Following the release of the series, Schneider did issue a public apology online for past over-the-top behavior at Nickelodeon that he conceded may have caused pain to colleagues and cast members.
“He will regret and atone for this behavior for the rest of his life,” the lawsuit concedes. “But one thing he is not — and the one thing that will forever mar his reputation and career both past and present — is a child sexual abuser.”
Schneider’s work at the network includes shows such as “All That,” “The Amanda Show,” “Drake & Josh,” “Zoey 101,” “iCarly” and “Victorious.”
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