The woman who supposedly inspires the character of the stalker in the successful Netflix series ‘Baby Reindeer’ (‘My stuffed reindeer in Spanish’) has sued the streaming platform for 170 million dollars (156 million euros). ).
A woman that claims to be the inspiration of the relentless stalker who stars in the successful series of Netflix ‘Baby Reindeer’ has sued the streaming giant for defamation and is asking for at least 170 million dollars (about 156 million euros) for damages.
Fiona Harveya 58-year-old Scottish lawyer living in England who claims that the character of Martha is clearly based on her, filed the demand before a federal court in Los Angeles in which he also alleges Netflix was negligentintentionally subjected her to emotional distress and violated her right to publicity.
In the British black comedy based on a stage show by Richard Gadd, he plays Donny, who offers Martha a cup of tea at the pub where he works. From that moment on, Things get out of control and Martha becomes a stalker. who sends you tens of thousands of emails, tweets you hundreds of times and ends up sexually assaulting him.
None of this actually happened, according to the lawsuit.
“The lies the defendants told about Harvey to more than 50 million viewers around the world include that Harvey is a twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison, and that Harvey sexually assaulted Gadd,” the lawsuit says. “Defendants recounted these liesand they never stopped doing it, because It was a story better than the truth.and these stories make money.”
Netflix responded with a statement saying: “We intend to defend this matter vigorously and defend Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.” The end credits of the series say that “it is based on real events“However, certain characters, names, incidents, places and dialogues have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.”
The lawsuit alleges that the streamer did nothing to determine whether the harassment, assault and convictions were accurate, nor did he do anything to understand the actual relationship between Harvey and Gadd. “Netflix and Gadd They destroyed his reputation, his character and his life“says the lawsuit.
The series premiered on Netflix in April, and Harvey came forward publicly. In an interview with journalist Piers Morgan last month, Harvey said she was “forced” to do so after receive death threats online “Internet Detectives”.
In fact, the lawsuit claims that British television viewers and media had already identified her, and that she has since They have constantly tormented her. This was possible, according to the lawsuit, because on the show Martha creates social media posts identical to Harvey’s searchable ones, including one in which she says “my curtains need to be hung urgently,” which is used as a sexual euphemism. in the program.
The lawsuit also alleges that Harvey has a “uncanny resemblance” to Martha, saying that his “accent, speech and cadence” are “indistinguishable.” The lawsuit says the series’ claim at the beginning of its first episode that it is a true story is “the biggest lie in television history” and that its defamation Harvey is “of unprecedented magnitude and scale.”
Harvey claim all the benefits of ‘Baby Reindeer’ and seeks to be awarded punitive and other damages totaling at least $170 million.
