Alleged inspiration for 'Baby Reindeer' sues Netflix for defamation

The woman who allegedly inspired the stalker character Martha in Netflix's “Baby Reindeer” is suing the streaming company for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other allegations.

The series, created by comedian Richard Gadd, follows his character Donny (whom Gadd plays as a fictionalized version of himself) as he is stalked by an older woman named Martha (played by Jessica Gunning). Although Gadd said the story was based on his true personal experiences, he insisted that the character of Martha was not meant to resemble her real-life counterpart.

But Fiona Harvey, 58, told host Piers Morgan last month that she was “forced” to come forward as Martha's alleged inspiration after internet sleuths looked into her identity and began harassing her online, even after Gadd himself asked his fans to stop. with their unfounded assumptions.

The suit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, seeks a total of more than $170 million in damages for Harvey, plus attorneys' fees. He described the show's title, which read “This is a True Story”, as the “biggest lie in the history of television”.

“The complaint is explicit. Netflix destroyed a woman, claiming, among many allegations, that she was a doomed woman,” Richard Roth, Harvey’s attorney, wrote in an email. “It never contacted her. He never checked the facts. He never made the slightest effort to understand the truth about his “real story!” »

Netflix and a representative for Gadd did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

The lawsuit comes several weeks after Harvey made a public statement warning that she was preparing to file a lawsuit against Netflix, in response to her belief that a public policy director at the company had called her a “convicted stalker”.

“I am not a convicted harasser,” Harvey said in his statement last month. “I have never been charged with any crime, much less convicted, much less pleaded guilty and, of course, I have never gone to prison for anything. This is how Gadd and Netflix chose to portray me in a TV show, for their own financial gain.

In her interview with Morgan, Harvey said she met Gadd but took issue with many of the events and behaviors depicted in “Baby Reindeer.”

Thursday's lawsuit claims that unlike how Martha was portrayed on the show, Harvey was never convicted of a crime, never sexually assaulted Gadd, attacked Gadd, stalked Gadd or stalked a police officer. Netflix's lack of “due diligence” in verifying these claims, combined with the series' enormous popularity, he said, makes “Baby Reindeer” defamatory.

A statement over the end credits reads: “This program is based on true events: however certain characters, names, incidents, locations and dialogue have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.” But despite the show's alleged efforts to veil Martha's true identity, the lawsuit says Harvey's identity remained “completely unconcealed.” It took only a few days, according to the release, for detectives to begin messaging Harvey on Facebook, naming her on social media forums and leaving threatening comments.

“Like 'Martha,' Harvey is a Scottish lawyer living in London, twenty years older than Gadd, accused of trolling a lawyer in a newspaper article and who bears a striking resemblance to 'Martha,'” the suit states. “Additionally, 'Martha's' accent, manner of speaking and cadence are indistinguishable from those of Harvey.”

Harvey exhibits physical symptoms of emotional distress and is afraid to go out in public or check the news, according to the suit.

“Because of (Netflix’s) lies, misdeeds and completely reckless conduct, Harvey’s life was ruined,” the lawsuit states. “Quite simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed his reputation, his character and his life.”