Disney Calling for Arbitration in Scarlett Johannson ‘Black Widow‘ Lawsuit. In this week’s update on the Scarlett Johannson Black Widow Lawsuit, Disney has filed a motion for private arbitration in the case. For those unfamiliar with the court term, arbitration simply means that the two parties would meet privately with an arbitrator to settle the dispute.
Related: Scarlett Johansson and Husband Colin Jost Announce the Birth of Their First Child Together
This would keep the dispute out of the public eye and save the company scrutiny from those who would follow along with the case, potentially saving the company negative press that would be shared during the proceedings. This would also be a hit to Scarlett’s team since it wouldn’t allow for outlets to share updates and garnish support that could help other actors and production team members leverage their own contracts and earnings with entertainment conglomerates who would attempt to take advantage of their position.
Needless to say, if Johannson’s team is confident in her case it really wouldn’t matter if they duke it out in court or if they agree to the motion for arbitration since she would be posed to win either way, but keeping the case out of the public eye would allow for Disney to hide from scrutiny over details that may come to light during the court proceedings.
Attorney Daniel Petrocelli, a member of Disney’s legal team, is the one who filed the motion on behalf of The Walt Disney Company and in the motion argues that Disney matched the contractual obligations by giving Black Widow a “wide theatrical” release, and nothing in the contract required an exclusive release in theaters.
Johannson’s attorney John Berlinski shared with Variety, “After initially responding to this litigation with a misogynistic attack against Scarlett Johansson, Disney is now, predictably, trying to hide its misconduct in confidential arbitration. Why is Disney so afraid of litigating this case in public? Because it knows that Marvel’s promises to give ‘Black Widow’ a typical theatrical release ‘like its other films’ had everything to do with guaranteeing that Disney wouldn’t cannibalize box office receipts in order to boost Disney Plus subscriptions. Yet that is exactly what happened — and we look forward to presenting the overwhelming evidence that proves it.”
Related: Disney Cutting Ties With Scarlett Johansson cancels Tower of Terror Movie
This is a developing story, so be sure to check back here at Chip and Company for all things Marvel and Disney!
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