'Baby Reindeer's alleged real Martha files $170M lawsuit against Netflix
Scottish lawyer Fiona Harvey has lodged a $170M defamation and negligence lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix. The suit pertains to the black comedy series Baby Reindeer, which Harvey claims falsely portrays her as a stalker named Martha. The show, presented as a "true story," allegedly disseminated damaging lies about Harvey to over 50M viewers worldwide.
Allegations of false portrayal and character assassination
Harvey alleges that Netflix and Richard Gadd, the series' protagonist, falsely depicted her as a twice-convicted stalker who sexually assaulted Gadd. The lawsuit states, "Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money." Harvey asserts these fabrications have devastated her life by tarnishing her reputation and character.
Know about the show
Baby Reindeer paints the story of a struggling comedian who works at a bar, Donny (played by Gadd), and his stalker, Martha (played by Jessica Gunning). Gadd has written and created the show, inspired by incidents in his own life. The show has been lauded for its fresh perspective on abuse, trauma, and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Despite changing Gadd's stalker's name, netizens began circulating rumors that Harvey was the real Martha. This led her to confirm her identity publicly.
Netflix: We intend to defend this matter vigorously
Despite being frequently mentioned in the lawsuit, Gadd is not listed as a defendant. A spokesperson for Netflix declared on Thursday, "We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd's right to tell his story." This statement was made hours after the lawsuit was filed, which Harvey had been hinting at for weeks.
Harvey has sought $170M in damages, here's the breakdown
Harvey is demanding over $170M in damages from the streaming giant. The breakdown includes actual damages exceeding $50M, compensatory damages surpassing $50M for mental anguish and loss of business, all profits from Baby Reindeer exceeding $50M, punitive damages believed to exceed $20M, pre-judgment interest at the legally prescribed rate, post-judgment interest, attorneys' fees, and other general relief.
'Baby Reindeer's success amid controversy
In May, Harvey described her experience following the series release as "horrifying" and "misogynistic," revealing she had received death threats online. Despite the controversy, Baby Reindeer has been a success for Netflix. The show garnered around 60M views in its first month and won the Breakthrough Limited Series award at the Gotham TV Awards.
