An animation worker has reached a tentative settlement in his lawsuit against Netflix Animation LLC in which he alleged he was wrongfully laid off in 2023 because he sought accommodations allowing him to care for his autistic daughter.
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Attorneys for plaintiff Michael Stephen Brainerd filed court papers Wednesday with Judge Daniel M. Crowley notifying him of a "conditional" resolution in the case with the expectation a request for dismissal will be brought by July 31. No terms were divulged.
In their previous court papers, Netflix attorneys denied Brainerd's allegations and cited multiple defenses, including that the causes of action alleged damages that were "speculative and hence not compensable."
"(Netflix) would have taken the same employment actions in any event for legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons and based on lawful motives," the streaming service attorneys further state in their court papers.
Brainerd, now 43, was hired by Netflix in March 2021 as an animation pipeline supervisor and he has two children, including a daughter who was 5 years old when his suit was filed in September 2023. She began showing signs of autism three years earlier and also had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which caused behavioral problems in her so severe that officials at her school asked her not to return.
"This caused a significant amount of stress for plaintiff, including the fact that he now had to provide additional care for his disabled daughter who could no longer attend school," the suit stated.
Despite providing all of the difficult options to his managers that Brainerd and his wife were facing regarding their daughter, Netflix management offered him no type of leave or accommodation and he found himself being excluded from leadership meetings, the suit further alleged.
Despite having never previously received a formal negative performance review, management told Brainerd during a February 2023 meeting that his job performance had been adversely affected by the family issues he was experiencing, according to the complaint.
Brainerd was terminated in March 2023 and a manager told him it was because his position was being eliminated, but Netflix did not eliminate any other jobs at that time, according to the suit.
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