Baby Reindeer’s ‘real Martha’ suing Netflix for £132 million in damages
Fiona Harvey, the woman who says the Baby Reindeer character of Martha is based on her, has launched a lawsuit against Netflix.
A lawsuit filed in a California court yesterday (6 June) argues that Netflix told 'brutal lies' about Harvey, who is alleging defamation, negligence and violation of her right of publicity.
She is seeking damages of $170 million (£132 million) for these claims, and argues that the Baby Reindeer show created by Richard Gadd and streamed on Netflix depicts her as a criminal who was convicted of stalking and spent time in prison.
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In the series created by Gadd, he plays the character of Donny who is stalked by a woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning) whose efforts to intrude upon his life grow increasingly disturbing.
Baby Reindeer opens with the words 'this is a true story' and depicts Donny receiving thousands of emails, his parents being targeted and his girlfriend being physically attacked.
The series released on Netflix to wide acclaim, and was watched by millions of people around the world.
In the aftermath some viewers tried to track down who they thought was the 'real Martha', despite Gadd's pleas for them not to do so.
However, internet sleuths soon identified a woman named Fiona Harvey, who then appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored in a controversial interview.
A legal firm then confirmed that they'd been retained by Harvey, who had declared an intention to pursue legal claims against Netflix.
Court documents show that Harvey also denies sexually assaulting Gadd, claiming that Netflix 'told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money'.
A scene in Baby Reindeer depicts Martha confronting Donny on a canal towpath and sexually assaulting him.
In the end credits to Baby Reindeer a disclaimer states the series 'is based on real events: however certain characters, names, incidents, locations, and dialogue have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes'.
The lawsuit claims: "As a result of Defendants’ lies, malfeasance and utterly reckless misconduct, Harvey’s life had been ruined.
"Simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed her reputation, her character and her life.
"It never investigated whether Harvey was convicted, a very serious misrepresentation of the facts."
In Baby Reindeer, Martha was previously convicted for stalking before she met Donny.
The suit continued: “It did nothing to understand the relationship between Gadd and Harvey, if any. It did nothing to determine whether other facts, including an assault, the alleged stalking or the conviction was accurate."
Per the BBC, New York based lawyer Richard Roth claims to have 'incontrovertible documentary evidence' that Harvey has never been convicted of a crime and that he has 'no doubt' his client's identity was used for Baby Reindeer.
Netflix representatives told Variety: "We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story."
LADbible has contacted Netflix for further comment, and have also contacted Richard Gadd's representatives for comment, though Gadd himself is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Topics: Netflix, Baby Reindeer
Joe Harker