A lawsuit filed against actress Rosario Dawson for alleged transphobic behavior was dismissed in court last Friday, Vanity Fair reports. 

“My family is pleased that this baseless suit is over,” a statement from Dawson’s representative reads. “While the vast majority of the false claims had been voluntarily withdrawn last year—including every single false claim of discrimination—today the court terminated the remainder of the case allowing us all to move forward.” 

The controversial dispute between Dawson and a long-time family friend, Derek Finley, a transgender man, began in 2017 after Finley was asked by the actress’ family to relocate from New York City to Los Angeles to help with construction work, as Blavity previously reported. 

After being promised full-time employment and a rent-free apartment, Finley said issues began to arise after he came out as transgender to the family, who he had known for 20 years at the time and had always supported him as a lesbian woman. 

“With Isabel [Dawson’s mother], it was like, ‘Are you sure?’” Finley shared with Out magazine in 2019. “I was trying to be positive about it. I felt it just wasn’t celebrated at all. It felt flat. And it felt like a burden.”

In the months following his confession, problems continued to fester and Finley said he was consistently belittled with comments such as “a man wouldn’t work like this” and “you only think you’re a man,” from Dawson’s father. He also accused the Seven Pounds actress and her mother of physically assaulting him.  

“[The family] was never expecting me to take a stand for myself,” Finley said, referring to his reluctance to take legal action. “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.”

The anti-trans accusations propelled Dawson into critical territory when she was cast in The Mandalorian series on Disney+. Some fans discouraged people from watching the show due to the transphobic controversy. 

“Well, firstly, I just want to say I understand that, and why people were concerned, and are concerned,” the 42-year-old said in a Nov. 2020 interview with Vanity Fair. “I would be too if I heard some of those claims. But I mean, as we’re seeing right now in these past months, and just recently, actually, the truth is coming out.”

Dawson rejected any truth behind the accusations and felt that her reputation of supporting the LGBTQ+ community should speak for itself.

“The reason that all of the discrimination claims were dropped is because they didn’t happen,” she said. “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.” 

“The fact that this is coming from someone I’ve known since I was a teenager, the better part of my life, and who my family was trying to help as we have many times in the past, it really just makes me sad. But I still have a great empathy for him,” she added.