Dan Schneider's 'Quiet on Set' defamation lawsuit gets tossed by judge

Dan Schneider has lost his defamation lawsuit against the creators of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, with a California appeals court ruling that the case cannot move forward.

The decision, issued Thursday, September 10, found that Schneider’s attorneys failed to show the 2024 documentary — which showed interviews with former Nickelodeon stars and crew — could reasonably be interpreted as accusing him of being a child sexual predator, per Deadline. 

Schneider — who produced and wrote shows like All That, The Amanda Show, Victorious, Drake & Josh, and iCarly — sued Warner Bros. Discovery, Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television and producers Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz in May 2024, shortly after the documentary premiered.

His complaint argued that Quiet on Set defamed him by placing footage and testimonies involving him alongside discussions of convicted child abusers Brian Peck and Jason Handy.

The appeals court rejected that interpretation, stating that it “cannot find that the elements Schneider cites, scattered throughout Defendants’ three-and-a-half-hour documentary, can reasonably support the defamatory implication that he is a child sexual predator.”

Schneider’s attorney, Gerry Silver, said, “We are disappointed by the Court’s decision to reverse the Superior Court’s well-reasoned anti-SLAPP ruling, and we are evaluating our options for further review and appeal.”