The Netflix ‘Brutal Lies’ Lawsuit

She said it was coming and now it’s here: the ‘Baby Reindeer’ lawsuit for defamation against Netflix for the Baby Reindeer hit show.

Fiona Harvey claims to be the real-life inspiration behind the character of Martha in the hit Netflix series “Baby Reindeer” created by comedian Richard Gadd.

The lawsuit which has been filed in a California court, alleges that Netflix and Gadd defamed her character by portraying lies about her in the series.

Harvey is seeking at least $50m for actual damages, at least $50m in compensatory damages for “mental anguish, loss of enjoyment and loss of business”, and at least $50m for “all profits from ‘Baby Reindeer,’” as well as $20m punitive damages.

The hit show depicts Martha as a twice-convicted stalker sentenced to 5 years in prison who sexually assaulted Gadd’s character. Harvey’s suit states these are “brutal lies” told by the defendants to make a more compelling story and earn more money.

The suit claims Netflix recklessly presented “Baby Reindeer” as a “true story” without verifying Gadd’s accounts.

“Netflix, a multi-national billion dollar entertainment streaming company did literally nothing to confirm the ‘true story’ that Gadd told. That is, it never investigated whether Harvey was convicted, a very serious misrepresentation of the facts. It did nothing to understand the relationship between Gadd and Harvey, if any … 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 ruined Harvey’s reputation and life as online sleuths quickly identified her as the real “Martha” due to her public interactions with Gadd matching details in the show.

While Gadd claimed he changed identifying details about Martha, Harvey alleges her identity was completely undisguised. She is seeking over $170 million in damages from Netflix including actual, compensatory, punitive damages and profits from the show.

Harvey has a legal background, having earned law degrees from Scottish universities in the 1990s. She had previously appeared on media stating she was considering legal action, denying sending 41,000 emails as depicted.

The lawsuit comes after Netflix recently settled a separate defamation case, agreeing to disclaimer claims for its series “When They See Us.”