Fiona Harvey, the woman allegedly portrayed as the inspiration for the obsessive stalker in Netflix's hit series Baby Reindeer, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the streaming platform.
Fiona Harvey, who previously identified herself as the inspiration behind the obsessive stalker character Martha in Netflix's hit series Baby Reindeer, has now filed a defamation lawsuit against the streaming giant after previously threatening to do so.
Fiona Harvey Sues Netflix For $170 Million Over Defamation Claims
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, seeks a staggering $170 million in damages.
That includes $50 million each for actual and compensatory damages, $50 million for show profits and $20 million for punitive damages. Interestingly, Richard Gadd, the creator and star of the series, is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Baby Reindeer, based on Gadd's real-life stalking experience, features a character named Martha, portrayed by Jessica Gunning, who becomes fixated on a struggling comedian named Donny, played by Gadd. The show illustrates the distressing experiences that Gadd faced, including receiving 41,000 emails, 744 tweets, 100 pages of letters and 350 hours of voicemails from the stalker over several years. These communications were incorporated into the narrative of the series.
The series, which evolved from Gadd's one-man show, quickly gained international popularity after its release on Netflix in April. It quickly climbed to the top of Netflix's "Top 10" chart and received critical acclaim. Despite its success, the series is now embroiled in controversy due to the allegations made by Harvey.
Baby Reindeer Fabrication And Reckless Misconduct Allegations
Harvey's lawsuit accuses Netflix of failing to verify the authenticity of Gadd's story, which is presented as true in the series. The lawsuit criticizes the disclaimer at the beginning of the first episode, which states, "This is a true story," and calls it "the biggest lie in television history." According to the lawsuit, Netflix and Gadd's narrative was a calculated fabrication to attract viewers, attention, and revenue at the expense of Harvey's reputation and life.
The lawsuit also highlights that Harvey has no criminal record, contradicting the show's portrayal of Martha as having legal problems and being arrested. Despite Gadd's public statements discouraging viewers from identifying the real-life counterparts of the show's characters, the lawsuit claims that online searchers quickly uncovered Harvey's identity. This led to widespread discussions on social media platforms, which severely impacted Harvey's life.