A woman who claims she was the real-life inspiration for the villain in Netflix’s hit series Baby Reindeer has been given the green light by a judge to sue the platform for defamation after she said Netflix had falsely described the series as a “true story.” “.
Fiona Harvey sued Netflix in June, alleging that the hit series defamed her reputation by falsely claiming she was a convicted stalker, resulting in severe psychological and emotional damage. It originally sought damages of up to $170 million.
Harvey also said she was defamed by allegations in the story that Martha stalked a police officer, that she sexually assaulted Gadd, and that she stalked Gadd by waiting outside his home for up to 16 hours a day.
The lawsuit relies on Harvey’s argument that she was identified as Martha in the movie “Baby Reindeer.” Creator Richard Gadd, who was the showrunner on Baby Reindeer and plays a version of himself on the show, has never publicly stated that the character of Martha was based on Harvey.
Netflix asked to dismiss the defamation suit, which the judge denied, but denied Harvey’s claims of negligence and infringement of its publicity rights and punitive damages.
In a California court, US District Judge Gary Klausner rejected Netflix’s arguments against Harvey’s defamation claims, saying it was plausible that Harvey could be identified as the show’s inspiration.
Netflix’s lawyers argued that the story was told from creator Gad’s point of view and was not realistic. The judge rejected this claim, given that the series described itself as a “true story” at the beginning of the series. Harvey’s lawyers had previously described the claim as “the biggest lie in the history of television.”
He added that there is a “huge difference” between stalking and a stalking conviction, as well as identifying other apparent exaggerations in the presentation that Harvey says are not true.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has moved to quash the controversy over actually questionable elements in the hit series.
“We make it easier for storytellers to tell their stories,” Sarandos told the Royal Television Society conference in September. “Baby Reindeer is (Gad’s) story, he told his story, and it’s not a documentary.”
“There are elements in the story that are dramatized,” Sarandos said. “It’s quite clear there’s drama. This debate (about Baby Reindeer’s status as a true story) doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world. Only the UK.”
A Netflix representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Repercussions of “The Reindeer Baby”.
Baby Reindeer, which follows comedian Donnie Dunne as he navigates an increasingly toxic relationship with his stalker, Martha, became a global phenomenon after its release in April.
The series contains several traumatic moments, including an incident of sexual assault by another character, whose real-life inspiration has not been identified.
The limited series garnered 84.5 million viewers between its release in April and June of this year, making it one of Netflix’s top series. The most popular series In all ages. The series won six Emmy Awards in September, including Outstanding Limited Series or Anthology and acting awards for Jade and Jessica Gunning, who plays Martha.
After Baby Reindeer was released, internet sleuths began scouring historical social media posts for clues about Martha’s true identity. They found a tweet sent from Harvey to Gadd in 2014, which included a reference to the “hanging curtains” that were used in the series.
Harvey appeared on Piers Morgan’s YouTube channel in the wake of the TV series’ release to deny the events of the show while claiming that she was indeed the inspiration for Martha.
She says she was bombarded with abusive messages following the discovery of the tweets, and had difficulty leaving the house as a result.