It was a dispute that destroyed a decades-long family friendship, generated headlines around the world, and divided a galactic fandom. Last week, it ended quietly and without public notice with a full dismissal. Or at least it ended in the U.S. legal system. The intense feelings surrounding the case of Dedrek Finley versus Rosario Dawson seem likely to endure.
In October 2019, Finley, a trans man who had known Dawson and her family for many years and worked for them in Los Angeles doing household repairs, filed a lawsuit alleging mistreatment and discrimination, including physical assault and anti-trans insults such as deliberate misgendering. It was a disturbing allegation against an actress who has supported LGBTQ+ causes. In the era of #MeToo, however, many were eager to hear out the accuser, since the public images of some well-known figures have not always matched their behaviors in real life.
The volume went down as lawyers got to work making motions before the court and submitting evidence and interrogatories. The issue flared up publicly again in March 2020, when rumors began to circulate that Dawson had been cast as a popular Star Wars character. Some fans loved it; others expressed anger that Dawson would be hired with serious allegations still unresolved.
Court filings show that the case gradually began to wither. Last fall, the court granted Finley’s voluntary request to withdraw all but two of his claims, and the lawyer representing him withdrew from the case. Finley sought to continue pursuing two claims that related to an alleged physical altercation. The court asked him to submit further evidence in order to proceed on those.
That led to May 21—when, according to documents obtained from the Los Angeles Superior Court, a judge threw out those final remaining claims after Finley did not respond to repeated court requests for documentation, answers to questions, and an independent medical examination aimed at reinforcing his claims of mental and physical harm.
After hundreds of pages of motions, it came down to a three-page ruling and one key sentence: “The court hereby dismisses the action.”
In a new statement from Dawson’s rep, the actress said the case fell apart because it wasn’t true. “My family is pleased that this baseless suit is over. While the vast majority of the false claims had been voluntarily withdrawn last year—including every single false claim of discrimination—today the court terminated the remainder of the case allowing us all to move forward.”
Finley, who had most recently been representing himself in the case, did not reply to a request for comment left on the phone number listed in court filings, or to an email address designated as his contact in the documents. There also was no response to a direct message sent to him via Facebook, and a call to a publicly listed business line revealed it was no longer active. In the motion granting Dawson’s request for dismissal, the court noted: “Finley did not file an opposition.”
The accusations had far-reaching consequences beyond the parties involved. The case was high profile at a time when trans people have continued making themselves visible in their fight for equality, standing up against longtime cruelty and mistreatment. The accusations also roiled the vast Star Wars following when it became clear that Dawson would be portraying the live-action version of the beloved animated character Ahsoka Tano, a lightsaber-wielding touchstone for girls and women in the fandom.
But it also appeared to be a personal tragedy. One particularly sad remnant of the case is an image Finley posted on a website promoting his repair business, with Dawson in a billowing black skirt and leather jacket, and Finley in paint-spattered work coveralls. They have their arms around each other and are smiling sweetly.
Dawson addressed their formerly close relationship in her new statement. “That these false claims came from someone we’ve known as chosen family for decades and who we were trying so hard to help out, as we have many times in the past, was very heartbreaking,” she wrote. “Nevertheless, we have great empathy for him and have only ever wished him well.”
By Finley’s own account, according to his lawsuit, he had known the Dawsons for roughly 20 years. When he moved from New York to California a few years ago, Finley told Out magazine that Dawson and her family gave him a place to live, a paying job, and that the actress had personally given him money to help with the relocation. It was around that time that Finley told them he was transitioning.
According to Out, that happy start to his time in Los Angeles eventually devolved into a series of increasingly hostile disagreements that finally exploded in the form of a lawsuit and allegations of discrimination and assault. He detailed what he describes as the collapsing relationship between him and the Dawsons that he claims led to a physical clash with Dawson and her mother, Isabel.
In that interview, Finley and one of his attorneys also described his conflict with the Dawsons as part of a larger struggle for trans rights and equality. “I always hoped there would be some reconciliation, but when it goes physical, that’s it. You have to take a stand for yourself…not only for myself but for the community,” Finley said.
After withdrawing most of the other claims, the two that Finley continued to pursue related only to this alleged assault involving Dawson and her mother.
In September, Finley’s lawyer, David S. Ratner, petitioned the court to leave the case. In the request-for-removal form, Ratner wrote, “Counsel is unable to continue to provide effective representation to client because of client’s actions and inactions during the pendency of this case. To protect the attorney-client privilege, no further details regarding this assertion can be given.”
News of the case happened to coincide with her fellow Mandalorian star Gina Carano’s escalating fight with fans over her conservative views, election and mask mandate doubts and conspiracies, as well as a joke she had posted that was widely seen as mocking the pronoun choices of trans people. Dawson and Carano never shared a scene together on the show, but some fans on social media drew a link between the two.
One popular tweet, which has around 770 likes and 100 retweets, stated, “Being trans and trying not to think about Gina Carano and Rosario Dawson so you can still enjoy The Mandalorian like…” Underneath was an image of Baby Yoda smoking a bong.
“Please do not watch Mando or if you do, do not praise it without also mentioning the two transphobic nightmares on it,” wrote another user, whose tweet got around 110 likes and 47 retweets.
Even news that most of the claims against Dawson had been dropped did little to quell some of the anger. Vanity Fair brought up the controversy in an interview about her appearance on The Mandalorian. Asked what she would say to those who doubted her denials and remained concerned that she was transphobic, Dawson said: “The reason that all of the discrimination claims were dropped is because they didn’t happen. I was raised in a very inclusive and loving way, and that’s how I’ve lived my entire life. I’ve always used my voice to fight for, lift up, and empower the LGBTQA community, and use my platform to channel trans voices, in fiction and nonfiction work that I’ve produced and directed. So I feel the record is really clear.”
Those remarks were reassuring for some, while others remained unsatisfied—part of a pattern that seemed to repeat each time there was a development in the case. Even now, despite the case being dismissed, painful feelings have reverberated so far beyond the plaintiff and defendant that there is little here that anyone might call an unqualified victory.
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