Current:Home > FinanceFiona Harvey files $170M lawsuit against Netflix for alleged 'Baby Reindeer' portrayal-InfoLens
Fiona Harvey files $170M lawsuit against Netflix for alleged 'Baby Reindeer' portrayal
View Date:2024-12-23 15:15:58
Netflix was sued on Thursday for at least $170 million by a Scottish woman who said she was defamed over her portrayal as a stalker in the hit mini-series "Baby Reindeer."
The plaintiff Fiona Harvey has publicly claimed to be the inspiration behind the character Martha, played by actress Jessica Gunning, who shares a physical resemblance and like her is a lawyer in London.
But in a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court, Harvey said Netflix and "Baby Reindeer" creator Richard Gadd went too far by suggesting through the show, which calls itself a "true story," that she was a twice-convicted stalker who had been sentenced to five years in prison.
What to know about 'Baby Reindeer':Yes, Netflix dramedy is about real people. Inside Richard Gadd's true story
Harvey denied having stalked Gadd, who on the show plays a fictional version of himself named Donny Dunn, or having been convicted or imprisoned.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
But she said many people couldn't tell the difference, and thousands of Reddit and TikTok users talk about her as the "real" Martha.
"Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money," the complaint said.
Netflix did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
'Baby Reindeer':Netflix series shines light on complicated aspects of sexual abuse
The lawsuit seeks at least $50 million each for actual damages, compensatory damages including mental anguish, and profits, plus at least $20 million of punitive damages.
Harvey sued two days after Netflix settled a defamation lawsuit by former prosecutor Linda Fairstein over her portrayal in "When They See Us," a 2019 series about the Central Park Five rape case three decades earlier.
Netflix agreed to move a disclaimer that some characters may have been altered for dramatic purposes to the start of episodes from the closing credits. It also agreed to donate $1 million to a nonprofit that helps free wrongfully convicted people.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Mike Tyson-Jake Paul: How to watch the fight, time, odds
- Ohio GOP lawmakers vow to target state judiciary after passage of Issue 1 abortion measure
- Deion Sanders apologizes after Colorado loses to Arizona: 'We just can't get over that hump'
- He overcame leukemia, homelessness. Now this teen is getting a bachelor's in neuroscience.
- Worker trapped under rubble after construction accident in Kentucky
- Caribbean island of Dominica creates world’s first marine protected area for endangered sperm whale
- A fragile global economy is at stake as US and China seek to cool tensions at APEC summit
- Horoscopes Today, November 11, 2023
- MLS Star Marco Angulo Dead at 22 One Month After Car Crash
- Florida pauses plan to disband pro-Palestinian student groups
Ranking
- Jessica Simpson’s Sister Ashlee Simpson Addresses Eric Johnson Breakup Speculation
- The 'R' word: Why this time might be an exception to a key recession rule
- Part of Interstate 10 near downtown Los Angeles closed indefinitely until repairs made; motorists urged to take public transport
- Airlines let Taylor Swift fans rebook Argentina flights at no cost after concert postponed
- Supreme Court seems likely to allow class action to proceed against tech company Nvidia
- Britney Spears reveals her 'girl crush' on 'unbelievable' Taylor Swift with throwback pics
- Timothée Chalamet, 'SNL' criticized for Hamas joke amid war: 'Tone-deaf' and 'vile'
- She mapped out weddings in 3 states, crashed them, stole thousands in cash and is free again
Recommendation
-
Arbitrator upholds 5-year bans of Bad Bunny baseball agency leaders, cuts agent penalty to 3 years
-
Greece’s opposition Syriza party splits as several prominent members defect
-
Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas arrested, expected to play vs. Vikings
-
US military says 5 crew members died when an aircraft crashed over the Mediterranean
-
Volkswagen, Mazda, Honda, BMW, Porsche among 304k vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
-
1 child killed, 4 others injured following shooting at a Texas flea market: Police
-
How many post-credit scenes and cameos in 'The Marvels'? All the best movie spoilers here
-
Germany’s support for Ukraine is to be ‘massively expanded’ next year