Amazon MGM has asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Ijaaz Noohu, a production assistant who worked on the upcoming series Criminal. The filing squarely disputes Noohu’s allegations of racial and sexual harassment and specifically denies an allegation that showrunner Ed Brubaker pointed a functional firearm at him and pulled the trigger.
Noohu filed his suit two weeks before Amazon MGM’s response. His complaint alleges that he experienced inappropriate conduct while working on the production, including claims that Brubaker rubbed his back and spoke about running his hands through Noohu’s hair. The complaint also alleges that Noohu was asked whether he supported Hamas and was subjected to stereotypes concerning curry, mathematical ability and “Tiger Moms.”
Those are allegations in a civil complaint, not findings of fact. Amazon MGM’s court filing contests them, and the dispute remains unresolved.
What Amazon MGM is asking the court to do
The company filed a demurrer, a procedural challenge asking a court to determine whether a complaint is legally sufficient as written. It is not, by itself, a ruling on which side’s account is true. Instead, it is an effort to end all or part of a case at an early stage based on the pleaded claims and legal arguments.
Amazon MGM’s filing argues that Noohu’s firearm allegation is fabricated. The company says it has no record that the alleged incident was reported. Its lawyers also contend that an event in which a gun was pointed at someone and the trigger pulled would have prompted a report from someone present, particularly in an industry attentive to firearm safety after the fatal shooting on the set of Rust.
Amazon MGM argues that it first learned of the claimed firearm incident through Noohu’s later allegations and says nobody reported it at the time.
The filing uses strongly adversarial language, characterizing Noohu as an “opportunist, not a victim.” That description is Amazon MGM’s litigation position, not a judicial determination.
The records argument at the center of the response
A central part of Amazon MGM’s argument concerns the absence of what it calls contemporaneous complaints: reports, messages or other communications created during the period in question. The company says Noohu did not raise harassment or discrimination concerns while he worked on the show.
Amazon MGM also points to a 2024 email in which Noohu reportedly sought a promotion to executive producer, saying his involvement would make the show better. Its filing further cites emails and texts that it says reflected an effort by Noohu to keep working closely with Brubaker.
In legal disputes involving workplace conduct, contemporaneous material can become important because the parties may use it to argue about timing, notice and credibility. But a company’s claim that records lack a complaint is still an argument made in defense of the case; it does not independently settle whether alleged conduct happened or whether a person had reasons not to report it at the time.
The supplied filing goes further, arguing that Noohu waited nearly two years before bringing forward the allegations, and that the timing was intended to maximize leverage as the show entered its press-tour period. Noohu’s complaint and Amazon MGM’s response therefore present sharply opposing accounts of both the alleged conduct and the significance of when the allegations were raised.
The firearm allegation is the most forcefully contested claim
Among the claims described in the complaint, the alleged firearm incident is the most dramatic. The complaint reportedly offers limited detail while alleging that Brubaker pointed a working gun at Noohu and pulled the trigger. Amazon MGM calls the claim “pure invention” and says it is implausible that an incident of that nature could occur without any report.
That disagreement matters for more than headlines. A firearm on a screen production carries distinct safety concerns, whether it is functional, loaded, unloaded or used as a prop. Amazon MGM’s response frames the absence of a report as central to its challenge, while the lawsuit places the alleged incident within a wider accusation of workplace harassment and discriminatory treatment.
At this stage, neither account should be presented as established fact. The court’s handling of the demurrer will concern the legal viability of the pleaded case, while any later fact-finding process—if the case proceeds—would address evidence and disputed testimony more directly.
What the dispute means for ‘Criminal’
Criminal is identified as an upcoming series, and Amazon MGM’s filing says Noohu’s suit arrived as the production entered its press-tour period. The materials provided do not establish a release date, a platform rollout plan, or any change to the series’ status. They also do not state that Brubaker has separately responded beyond the positions advanced in Amazon MGM’s filing.
For viewers following television coverage, the key distinction is between the creative project and an ongoing legal conflict involving its production. There is currently no court finding described here that verifies Noohu’s claims or accepts Amazon MGM’s denials. The immediate development is procedural: Amazon MGM is seeking dismissal.
Readers looking for another current television viewing guide can find details in our guide to watching Law & Order: SVU Season 28 and catching up on the series.
What remains unresolved
- Whether the court will grant Amazon MGM’s demurrer, deny it, or permit changes to the complaint is not established by the filing itself.
- No judicial finding described in the available material determines whether the alleged harassment, discriminatory remarks or firearm event occurred.
- Amazon MGM maintains that Noohu made no workplace complaint during production; Noohu’s lawsuit alleges harmful conduct nonetheless.
- The available information does not provide a response from Noohu to Amazon MGM’s latest filing.
The case is therefore best understood as a live civil dispute at an early procedural point. Noohu alleges racially and sexually inappropriate workplace treatment, including a firearm incident. Amazon MGM denies the accusations, challenges the credibility and timing of the claims, and asks for the suit to be thrown out. Any definitive account will depend on what happens next in court.
