Netflix slapped with $170 million lawsuit over hit series "Baby Reindeer"
12:31 PM EDT, June 7, 2024
Fiona Harvey admitted that she inspired the character Martha Scott in the popular Netflix series "Baby Reindeer." She has filed a lawsuit against the service, seeking $170 million in damages.
On June 6, 2024, the Central California District Court received a lawsuit from Fiona Harvey, claiming that Netflix committed defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, gross negligence, and violation of her right to image.
The "real Martha" demands $170 million from Netflix for "Baby Reindeer"
It all started when Richard Gadd's series "Baby Reindeer" appeared on the platform in April of this year. Actual events from his life allegedly inspired him, and according to Harvey, she was "the real Martha."
Fiona Harvey stated that there is no possibility that she sent Gadd 41,000 emails, hundreds of voice messages, and 106 letters because she is not a stalker. As she emphasized in an interview with Piers Morgan:
"I don’t think I sent him anything. There may have been a couple of emails, jokey banter, but that is it" - explained Harvey.
Returning to the lawsuit, Harvey and her lawyers accuse Netflix of telling "lies that Defendants told about Harvey to over 50 million people worldwide", portraying her as a twice-convicted stalker who sexually harassed Gadd. Quotes from The Guardian state their belief that "defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money."
"Netflix, a multi-national billion dollar entertainment streaming company, did literally nothing to confirm the ‘true story’ that Gadd told," emphasizes Harvey in the lawsuit, adding that "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," reads the lawsuit.
Harvey now demands at least $50 million in "actual damages," at least $50 million in compensation for "mental anguish, loss of enjoyment and loss of business," at least $50 million for "all profits from 'Baby Reindeer,'" and $20 million in punitive damages.
Netflix has already commented on the matter in a conversation with The Guardian, writing in a statement: "We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story."
