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The
plaintiff Fiona Harvey has publicly claimed to be the
inspiration behind the character Martha, played by actress
Jessica Gunning, who shares a physical resemblance and like her
is a lawyer in London.
But in a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court, Harvey
said Netflix and "Baby Reindeer" creator Richard Gadd went too
far by suggesting through the show, which calls itself a "true
story," that she was a twice-convicted stalker who had been
sentenced to five years in prison.
Harvey denied having stalked Gadd, who on the show plays a
fictional version of himself named Donny Dunn, or having been
convicted or imprisoned.
But she said many people couldn't tell the difference, and
thousands of Reddit and TikTok users talk about her as the
"real" Martha.
"Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a
better story than the truth, and better stories made money," the
complaint said.
Netflix, in response to the lawsuit, said it intended to "defend
this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd's right to
tell his story."
The lawsuit seeks at least $50 million each for actual damages,
compensatory damages including mental anguish and profits, plus
at least $20 million of punitive damages.
Harvey sued two days after Netflix settled a defamation lawsuit
by former prosecutor Linda Fairstein over her portrayal in "When
They See Us," a 2019 series about the Central Park Five rape
case three decades earlier.
Netflix agreed to move a disclaimer that some characters may
have been altered for dramatic purposes to the start of episodes
from the closing credits. It also agreed to donate $1 million to
a nonprofit that helps free wrongfully convicted people.
The case is Harvey v Netflix Inc et al, U.S. District Court,
Central District of California, No. 24-04744.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting
by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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