A woman who claims to be the real-life inspiration for the stalker in Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer” has filed a defamation lawsuit against the streaming service, seeking $170 million in damages.
Fiona Harvey, a Scottish attorney living in England, alleges that the character Martha in the popular limited series is based on her and has sued Netflix in federal court in Los Angeles for defamation, negligence, intentional emotional distress, and violation of her right to publicity.
FILE – The Netflix logo is shown in this photo from the company’s website on Feb. 2, 2023, in New York. A woman who says she is the inspiration for the relentless stalker at the center of Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer” sued the streaming giant Thursday, June 6, 2024, for defamation and is seeking at least $170 million in damages.
Fiona Harvey was featured in the one-man stage show by Richard Gadd, where Gadd as Donny Dunn is stalked by a character named Martha who sends him numerous emails, tweets, physically attacks him, and ends up imprisoned. However, the events depicted did not actually occur.
The lawsuit claims that Netflix spread false information about Harvey to millions of viewers, portraying her as a convicted stalker and an offender. It alleges that Netflix and Gadd chose to tell a sensational story for financial gain, damaging Harvey’s reputation and causing severe harm to her.
