Netflix Plans to ‘Vigorously’ Defend Itself Against Baby Reindeer Lawsuit

The controversy surrounding the Netflix series Baby Reindeer came to a head last week when the real-life Martha, Fiona Harvey, officially filed a lawsuit against the streamer seeking damages in the amount of $170 million dollars. While Netflix and star Richard Gadd have remained mostly silent on the matter since the suit was filed on June 6, 2024, the streaming giant has released a statement saying it plans to “vigorously” defend itself. Premiering earlier this year, Baby Reindeer quickly became a smash hit for Netflix, garnering more than 56 million views in its first 26 days.

As per CNN, the lawsuit filed by Fiona Harvey against Netflix, Inc., and Netflix Worldwide Entertainment, LLC, alleges that Netflix and Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd told the “biggest lie in television history” by claiming that the series was based on Gadd’s true story. Netflix released a statement to CNN on June 7, 2024, a day after the suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which you can check out below.

Baby Reindeer (2024)

4.5/5

A seemingly innocent interaction with a customer turns into a chaotic journey as the life of aspiring comedian Donny spirals out of control and brings up the past. 

Release Date

April 11, 2024

Cast

Richard Gadd , Jessica Gunning , Danny Kirrane , Nava Mau

Seasons

1

Shortly after the premiere of Baby Reindeer on April 11, 2024, internet sleuths went to work trying to uncover the real-life identity behind the character of Martha Scott. It didn’t take long for them to find out it was Scottish attorney Fiona Harvey, and since the big reveal, Harvey says she’s been bombarded with personal attacks and death threats, which have made her life a living hell. The lawsuit seeks retribution for the “emotional distress” she’s suffered, and aims to clear her name in the eyes of the public.

Fiona Harvey Has No Criminal Record According to Her Attorneys

One of the biggest gripes the lawsuit seeks to resolve is that, unlike the character of Martha Scott who is portrayed in Baby Reindeer as being a twice-convicted stalker that was sentenced to five years in prison, Fiona Harvey’s representatives, The Roth Law Firm, say she has no criminal record. The proof, they say, is in a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) Certificate, and a ClearCheck background report, which highlights the fact that there are no criminal convictions in Harvey’s past.

Images shared with LAD Bible from The Roth Firm show both documents, and under the ‘Police Records of Convictions, Cautions, Reprimands and Warnings’ section of the DBS Certificate it reads ‘NONE RECORDED.’ The same goes for the ClearCheck report, which also lists no criminal convictions for Fiona Harvey. Richard Roth of The Roth Law Firm told the outlet that the “true facts” in Baby Reindeer are nothing more than fabrications, and that the conduct of Netflix is “reprehensible.”

“The Complaint is self-explanatory. Netflix destroyed a woman,
setting forth numerous ‘true facts’ that are fabricated
. And also claiming she was a two-time convicted felon! It never contacted her. It never checked the facts. It never made any effort to understand the truth of its ‘true story!’
Its conduct is reprehensible
.”

Related

Netflix Defiantly Releases Baby Reindeer’s Martha Audition Tape Amid Controversial Lawsuit

Netflix has released the audition tape of Jessica Gunning as Martha in Baby Reindeer amid $170 million lawsuit.

As the lawsuit continues to make its way through the legal system, Baby Reindeer has certainly brought to light the litigious risks that come with labeling a story as “true,” and the responsibility of platforms like Netflix to do their due diligence in checking all the facts before releasing something to the public. More details on the Baby Reindeer lawsuit will be shared as they become available.