Netflix faces lawsuit over “Baby Reindeer”
Netflix faces lawsuit over the popular series “Baby Reindeer,” which reveals the life of a comedian stalked by an unloving woman.
Netflix said Friday, June 7, that it will fight a multimillion-dollar lawsuit for damages filed by a Scottish woman.
In this regard, Netflix faces lawsuit as the woman, on whom the story is based, alleges she was defamed by the worldwide hit series “Baby Reindeer.”
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Fiona Harvey is seeking a jury trial and damages of US$170 million for “mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of business,” according to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Netflix faces a lawsuit over the Netflix miniseries, in which comedian Richard Gadd recounts the “true story” of being stalked by a woman who bombarded him with more than 40,000 emails and hundreds of hours of voicemails.
“Baby Reindeer” has topped the most-watched charts worldwide since its premiere in April, generating headlines and speculation about the characters and who inspired them.
Netflix faces lawsuit over “Baby Reindeer“
Harvey, who was quickly tracked down by online sleuths who labeled her the “real Martha Scott,” appeared on the YouTube show “Piers Morgan Uncensored” last month to say her life had been ruined.
Netflix faces a lawsuit and also names Gadd, who stars in the seven-part miniseries as comedian Donny Dunn.
The document alleges that the defendants and Gadd told the “biggest lie in television history” by claiming the story is true.
It says Netflix and Gadd lied “out of greed and lust” to make money, and to “viciously destroy” Harvey’s life, “an innocent woman defamed…on an unprecedented magnitude and scale.”
Gadd first recounted his experience with an alleged stalker at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019, before Netflix commissioned the miniseries in 2021.
In an essay for Netflix, he said the situation was “messy” and “complicated,” but he believed the story needed to be told.
“Baby Reindeer” tells more than just a real-life story. And it also has real-world effects
Harvey’s complaint alleges that Netflix made no effort to confirm any of the alleged facts in the series, including that Gadd’s alleged stalker was sentenced to five years in prison for stalking.
In the complaint, Harvey claims that within days of the series airing, she began receiving messages, including death threats, identifying her as Gadd’s alleged stalker.
