Amazon and Ed Brubaker ask court to dismiss Criminal harassment lawsuit
Amazon MGM, showrunner Ed Brubaker and other defendants have asked a California court to throw out a harassment lawsuit brought by a former production assistant on the unreleased Prime Video series Criminal.
The request came in a demurrer, meaning a filing that asks a judge to dismiss a complaint without a trial, in response to the 2 September complaint from Ijaaz Noohu. The defendants are seeking an 15 October hearing before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Fahey, according to Deadline.
In that filing, the defendants deny Noohu’s claims and say evidence will show he is “an opportunist, not a victim.” They describe his allegations as meritless.
The language is direct. The response calls Noohu’s allegation that Brubaker pointed a functional firearm at his face and pulled the trigger “pure invention,” Deadline reported. Noohu had accused Brubaker of assault, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Noohu, who is described in his complaint as Sri Lankan, alleges he endured sustained sexual, racial, national origin and religious harassment while working on Criminal. He also accused Brubaker and Amazon MGM of creating a hostile work environment on the production, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He is seeking unspecified damages.
He was hired to work on the series in late 2023 and dismissed in September 2024. Noohu further alleges that after he requested a promotion, his exit date was brought forward and he was barred from the set in retaliation, according to TheWrap.
The defence disputes the timing. The defendants claim Noohu waited twenty months before bringing his claims and filed suit on the eve of the press circuit for Criminal.
Criminal is based on the graphic novel series by Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Prime Video ordered it to series in January 2024, meaning it commissioned a full season. Brubaker serves as showrunner, the person in day-to-day charge of the series, according to Variety.
The cast includes Charlie Hunnam, Emilia Clarke, Luke Evans, Garrett Hedlund and Richard Jenkins. The series has not yet been given a launch date.
The court has not ruled on the request to dismiss. The next step listed in the filing is the October hearing.
