Ava DuVernay Calls Linda Fairstein a Bully ‘Responsible’ for Wrongful Central Park 5 Conviction in Statement on Settlement

Ava DuVernay has responded to Linda Fairstein’s settlement in the defamation lawsuit regarding her depiction in the Netflix limited series “When They See Us.”

“After years of legal wrangling and millions of dollars spent, she walked away with no payment to her or her lawyers of any kind, rather than face cross examination before a New York jury as to her conduct and character,” DuVernay said.

She continued later, “I hope that one day Linda Fairstein can come to terms with the part she played in this miscarriage of justice and finally accept responsibility.”

Per the settlement and DuVernay’s statement, Netflix will donate $1 million to the Innocence Project “benefitting the wrongfully incarcerated.

There will also be a disclaimer in front of the episodes reading: “While the motion picture is inspired by actual events and persons, certain characters, incidents, locations, dialogue, and names are fictionalized for the purposes of dramatization.”

Fairstein first sued Netflix and DuVernay back in 2020 for being wrongfully portrayed as a villain in “When They See Us.” DuVernay created, co-wrote, and directed the show about the Central Park Five.

The case moved forward and was set to go trial next week in Manhattan before Fairstein pulled the plug, according to DuVernay’s statement.

“Throughout this legal ordeal that she instigated, Linda Fairstein painted herself as the victim, as someone who has been wronged by our storytelling in “When They See Us. She has suggested that the false story she tells about these wrongfully incarcerated men is the only right one, and that their experiences aren’t worth being heard or believed.”

Feinstein was played by Felicity Huffman in the four-part series.

More to come…

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