An amended complaint filed against Netflix on Thursday alleges that a female children’s programming executive at the streamer was wrongfully terminated after she repeatedly spoke out about purported gender bias and sexual harassment perpetuated by her boss.
The complaint argues that former Netflix director of kids and family global content acquisitions and co-comissions Amy Takahara was subjected to a “pervasive and hostile environment” by director of kids and tween live action and content licensing Edward Horasz that impeded her work at the streamer and culminated in a sudden firing after she challenged her boss. The suit was initially filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on May 21, but was amended and re-filed Thursday to include additional details of the alleged mistreatment.
During her time at the streamer, Takahara was “subjected to constant gender discrimination and sex harassment that demeaned and humiliated her, negatively affected her ability to do her job, and ultimately caused her lost career opportunities and emotional distress,” the complaint reads.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Horasz for comment. In a statement, a Netflix spokesperson said, “Ms. Takahara’s position was eliminated after the team was downsized. Her claims lack merit, and we believe the proceedings will prove it.”
The revised suit brings forth a litany of allegations about Horasz’s treatment of Takahara, a veteran children’s programming executive who spent six years at the streamer. One is denying her credit for accomplishments: Geek Girl, the teen drama about an unpopular girl who becomes a model and finds her confidence, became a hit for Netflix in 2024 and was “cultivated and spearheaded” by Takahara, the suit says. When it came time to present the show in an animation forum, Horasz presented the show in a way that led one fellow executive to tell Takahara that it was “not clear” that Geek Girl was her show.
Another main contention is exchanges that focused on Takahara’s gender. The lawsuit says that Horasz once told Takahara during a compensation review that he did not think she could handle “male-based” shows and that she should oversee “relationship” shows. The complaint states that Horasz told Takahara that she was like his “wife” at the office and “nagged” him like one.
The complaint also alleges that Horasz made some off-color comments about women. Horasz allegedly advocated for “sexy” teenage girls to be cast in one YA show and pushed for a hot tub to appear in the project so “we could have them in bikinis in the show.” During a pitch session with producers over an adaptation of the children’s property The Worst Witch that would appeal to older audiences, he purportedly asked, “So this is witches with titties?”
Takahara complained about treatment of her on several occasions and Netflix did not take appropriate action, the suit says. In December 2024, Takahara raised the issue with a human resources executive. The HR executive allegedly told Takahara that she would meet with Horasz and later asked Takahara if she would be open to raising her issues with him herself, which Takahara did. During a “360 review process” in 2024, Takahara mentioned that Horasz could give some more space for other executives to speak in meetings, saying it was already difficult to be heard as a female executive.
In early 2025, Takahara again aired concerns to the human resource executive about the situation, saying she believed her work situation was “toxic,” and asked to find another role at the company. The HR executive allegedly said she would see what she could do and that she would meet with Horasz.
Six days later, at a one-on-one meeting with Horasz, Takahara directly expressed her concerns to him and told him about times when she felt “undermined.” Eventually in response, according to the lawsuit, Horasz told Takahara, “Amy, you’re spiraling. This clearly isn’t good for your mental health so we should just part ways.” The suit alleges this constituted a wrongful termination, as Takahara was making protected complaints. Netflix, the suit further states, never initiated an investigation or intervened.
The revisions to Takahara’s suit arrive after a former Netflix labor relations legal counsel filed a suit alleging wrongful termination after she brought forward complaints around the treatment of women of color at the company and sexual harassment. A Netflix spokesperson told The Los Angeles Times that the allegations “lack merit.”
