Baby Reindeer's Alleged 'Real Martha' Sues Netflix for $274 Million

The woman who claims to be the inspiration for the stalker in Netflix's hit series Baby Reindeer has sued the streamer, seeking damages of at least NZ$274 million.

Fiona Harvey has publicly stated that the character of Martha – played by Jessica Gunning – was based on her.

She was suing Netflix for defamation, intentional emotional infliction, negligence and violation of her right of publicity.

The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Thursday (local time).

His complaint said: “The lies defendants told about Harvey to more than 50 million people around the world include the fact that Harvey is a twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison and that Harvey sexually assaulted Gadd.”

“The defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and the best stories made money.”

The first episode of Baby Reindeer began with a title card that read, “This is a true story.”

Harvey's lawsuit claims it is “the biggest lie in television history.”

“It's a lie told by Netflix and the show's creator, Richard Gadd, out of greed and lust for fame; a lie designed to attract more viewers, attract more attention, make more money and brutally destroy the life of plaintiff Fiona Harvey, an innocent woman defamed by Netflix and Richard Gadd on an unprecedented scale and breadth,” the lawsuit reads.

Baby Reindeer, based on Gadd's one-man play, premiered on Netflix on April 11, quickly becoming a huge hit and on track to become the most-watched show on the streamer.

In the series, Gadd plays a fictionalized version of himself named Donny Dunn who is pursued by a stalker called Martha who sends him thousands of emails and harasses his family and his girlfriend.

After the series' release, Internet sleuths quickly delved into Harvey's social media accounts, although Gadd said he had changed the real Martha's identifying details.

Harvey's social media accounts frequently interacted with Gadd during the show's filming period and shared specific phrases used on the show.

She made an appearance on Piers Morgan's YouTube show where she said she was considering legal action against Gadd and Netflix.

Harvey sought more than $274 million from Netflix, including at least NZ$80 million for actual damages; at least NZ$80 million in compensatory damages for “mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of business”; at least NZ$80 million “for all profits from Baby Reindeer”; and at least NZ$32 million in punitive damages.