Fiona Harvey, the ‘real-life Martha’ from Netflix’s Baby Reindeer has sued the streaming service for over £130 million.
Harvey has claimed that the character of Martha was based on her – and, according to court documents, she states there are multiple parts of the show to be completely false, which she claims have defamed her.
Baby Reindeer became a worldwide sensation, and Richard Gadd – whose play the show is based on – plays the fictionalised version of himself.
In the show, a woman called Martha in the show begins stalking him – and is also depicted assaulting him both physically and sexually.
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Whilst Gadd has on multiple occasions stressed that he does not want anyone to find the real-life people behind the show, internet sleuths did exactly that after its release.
The addendum at the beginning of the show that it is based on a ‘true story’ sent fans down various rabbit holes, which eventually led them to Fiona Harvey.
On 9 May, Harvey appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored to 'set the record straight' and 'have her say'.
And yesterday (6 June), Harvey filed a lawsuit in Californian federal court against Netflix for alleged defamation, negligence and violation of her right of publicity.
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She is seeking damages of $170 million (£132 million) for these claims - which includes punitive damages at $20 million (£16 million), and 'all profits' from Baby Reindeer at $50 million (£39 million), as per ITV.
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Here is everything from Baby Reindeer that Harvey is claiming never happened.
Harvey was a convicted stalker who served a five year prison sentence
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Harvey’s core argument centres around the fact that, in the show, Martha is depicted to have been a convicted stalker who served a five year prison sentence for this.
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This is a core part of the show, with this being the revelation at the end of the first episode.
Whilst this has not yet been made available, Harvey’s lawsuit claim they have a certificate proving that she has never received any sentence, caution, warning, or reprimand from the police.
This also applies to the moment late on in the show in which Martha pleads guilty to stalking.
"Harvey has never been convicted of any crime and has never been to prison." the lawsuit claims.
Harvey sexually assaulted Richard Gadd
Episode two features a shocking scene in which Martha is depicted sexually assaulting Gadd’s character while in a canal towpath.
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In the documents, Harvey’s lawyers said that this is an ‘outrageous claim’, claiming: “Harvey has never had any sexual encounter with Gadd.
"The claim that Harvey sexually assaulted Gadd is a lie.”
Harvey violently attacked Gadd by smashing a glass over his head and gouging his eyes
The attack in the show left Gadd's character Donny bloody. (Netflix)
In one of the later episodes, Martha smashes a glass over the head of Donny leaving his head bloody.
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She then jumps on him, gouging his eyes out. This comes after the character also assaults the character of Teri.
The lawsuit states: “This is a lie. Harvey never smashed a glass bottle over Gadd’s head, gouged his eyes, or ever physically attacked him in any way”.
Harvey waited outside Gadd’s house every day for up to 16 hours a day
After he reports her to the police, Martha begins waiting outside Donny’s house at a bus stop every day, for up to '16 hours a day'.
The lawsuit calls this a ‘psychotic lie’, claiming she never waited outside his residence whatsoever.
These are the main four areas of the show that are claimed to be untrue - with Harvey’s lawyers also alleging that the tag of ‘true story’ on Baby Reindeer defamed her.
They say that, due to the popularity of the show, the statements they claim to be false have been viewed more than '50 million times worldwide'.
In addition to this, the lawsuit claims that Netflix's executive, Benjamin King, made a statement alleging that Harvey was a 'convicted stalker' in a committee meeting within the House of Commons.
"Harvey is not a convicted stalker and King’s and Netflix’s statement is a defamatory lie." the documents said.
They also pointed to an article stating that Baby Reindeer was a 'true story' on Netflix’s website Tudum, also alleging that the 'story told about Harvey is a lie'.
In response to the lawsuit, Netflix have said: "We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story."
Gadd was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, however.
LADbible has previously contacted Netflix and Gadd's reps for further comment.
Topics: Netflix, True Crime, Baby Reindeer, TV and Film, TV
Michael Slavin