In recent news, Netflix has been hit with a defamation lawsuit over its portrayal of a woman deemed as a stalker in the show “Baby Reindeer”. The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, states that Fiona Harvey, who claims to be the inspiration behind the character Martha, accuses Netflix of defaming her by portraying her as a twice-convicted stalker sentenced to five years in prison for sexual assault. The complaint alleges that Netflix and the showrunners knowingly spread lies for the sake of creating a more compelling and profitable story.
Watch the Official Trailer for Netflix’s Baby Reindeer
The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief and a minimum of $120 million, which includes the profits Netflix made from the series. It brings claims of defamation, negligence, and violations of right of publicity law. The show “Baby Reindeer” follows the story of Donny Dunn, a struggling comedian who encounters Martha, a dangerous serial stalker. Over the years, Martha bombards Donny with thousands of emails, tweets, letters, and voicemails. The lawsuit alleges that Netflix failed to investigate the accuracy of the statements presented in the series, presenting them as true without verifying the facts.
The series portrays Martha as a convicted criminal who spent time in prison for stalking both Donny and another woman. Additionally, she is shown as stalking a policeman and sexually assaulting Donny. However, Harvey claims that she has never been convicted of any crime and denies stalking or assaulting Donny in any way. It is important to note that the real name of Harvey was not used in the series, which could potentially make it difficult to prove defamation.
This lawsuit comes after Netflix recently settled another defamation lawsuit concerning the show “When They See Us”. It seems that the streaming giant is facing increasing legal challenges regarding their portrayal of real-life individuals in their content. These lawsuits not only raise questions about the responsibility of streaming platforms, but also shed light on the power and influence of storytelling in shaping public perception. As this legal battle unfolds, it will be interesting to see how Netflix responds and whether it will affect their approach to depicting real people in their future productions.
