The lawsuit says the character of Martha in the Netflix series ‘Baby Reindeer’ is based on Fiona Harvey|@netflix|X
A Scottish woman is suing Netflix for defamation, negligence and privacy violations. She claims the convicted stalker character on its recent hit series Baby Reindeer by comedian Richard Gadd is based on her and falsely portrays her.
The lawsuit filed by Fiona Harvey in California seeks over $170 million in damages from Netflix for knowingly causing emotional distress by spreading “brutal lies” about her in the show.
What happened?
The show claims it is based on true events, but also states that some elements are fictionalized.
It features a Scottish lawyer living in London, known as Martha, who sexually harasses an aspiring comedian 20 years younger than her, played by the show’s creator, Gadd.
Per the lawsuit, Harvey is also a Scottish lawyer living in London and is 20 years older than Gadd and has been acquainted with him.
Harvey’s lawyers argue that it was easy for internet sleuths to identify her as the real-life inspiration for Martha, leading to online harassment that has made her “fearful of leaving her home or checking the news.”
Netflix plans to defend itself, supporting Gadd’s right to tell his story. Gadd has asked the public to stop speculating about the real-life inspirations for the show’s characters.
The show crossed over 56 million views in its first four weeks since its debut in April.