Baby Reindeer came to Netflix in the month of April and has sparked a lot of debates and conversations. It follows the plot of dealing with stalking, sexual assault, and bullying. However, the woman who identifies herself to be the inspiration for the character of Martha Scott in the drama miniseries has filed a $170m lawsuit against Netflix. Fiona Harvey, who claims to be the inspiration behind the drama miniseries, has accused the streaming platform for defamation, negligence, and violations of several rights including right to publicity.
Harvey has publicly identified herself as the major inspiration for the drama miniseries. However, she has denied the allegations of being a stalker. She claims that she never sent about 41000 emails, wrote 106 letters, and voice messages to Gadd.
In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, Fiona has stated that she has sent only a couple of emails which she claims to be some “jokey banters.” This interview of Harvey with Morgan has stirred a lot of debates and discussions. In the interview which aired in May, Harvey claimed that she has received several death threats and harassment due to the false story shown in Baby Reindeer.
The lawsuit that claims Netflix has the defendant has stated that the lies that the defendants told about Harvey included that she was convicted of stalking twice and was sentenced to prison for five years. They also claimed that the sexual assault of Gadd was false. “Defendants told these lies and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money”, claimed the lawsuit.
It went on to add, “Netflix never confirmed whether it was a ‘true story’ that Gadd told. It was never investigated whether Harvey was convicted or sent to prison. This is a severe misinterpretation of facts. They did nothing to understand the relationship of Harvey and Gadd. As a result of this, Harvey’s image has been entirely ruined. Simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed Harvey’s reputation.”
Harvey has sued Netflix $50m for actual damages, $50m for compensatory damages caused to her mental health, another $50m for all profits of Baby Reindeer, and $20m for punitive damages.
Netflix’s spokesperson told the Guardian in April, “We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.” Netflix is yet to respond to the lawsuit filed against them.
Nava Mau who plays Teri in the miniseries has revealed that the cast of Baby Reindeer decided to not watch the interview of Fiona Harvey with Piers Morgan. This decision was taken at the Gotham TV Awards. This decision shows their commitments and respect to Gadd’s experiences and the sensitive themes explored in Baby Reindeer.
Even after these claims, Baby Reindeer has proved to be a success as it was a major winner at the Gotham TV Awards held at New York. The series has also been a big hit at the streaming platform with over 60 million viewers in the very first month.
