Fiona Harvey, the purported real-life “Martha” in the Netflix hit “Baby Reindeer,” filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking $170 million in a California court.
Harvey accused the streaming giant of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and violations of her right of publicity in documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
She’s seeking $50 million in actual damages, $50 million in compensatory damages due to “mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of business” and another $50 million “for all profits from ‘Baby Reindeer,” according to the suit.Â
Harvey, a Scottish lawyer, also seeks $20 million in punitive damages.
Fiona Harvey claimed in her lawsuit that “Baby Reindeer” is the “biggest lie in television history.” (Netflix)
The complaint began with a quote from the show, stating, “‘This is a true story,’ Baby Reindeer, Episode 1. The above quote from the first episode of the Netflix series, Baby Reindeer, is the biggest lie in television history.Â
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“It is a lie told by Netflix and the show’s creator, Richard Gadd, out of greed and lust for fame; a lie designed to attract more viewers, get more attention, to make more money, and to viciously destroy the life of Plaintiff, Fiona Harvey – an innocent woman defamed by Netflix and Richard Gadd at a magnitude and scale without precedent.”
Jessica Gunning starred as Martha in “Baby Reindeer,” a character allegedly based on Fiona Harvey. (Netflix)
Harvey claimed Netflix was responsible for telling “over 50 million people worldwide” that she was a “twice convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison, and that Harvey sexually assaulted Gadd.”
“As a result of Defendants’ lies, malfeasance and utterly reckless misconduct, Harvey’s life had been ruined,” documents say. “Simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed her reputation, her character and her life.”
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“The complaint is self-explanatory,” Harvey’s lawyers told Fox News Digital. “Netflix destroyed a woman, claiming, among many allegations, that she was a numerous times convicted felon. It never contacted her. It never checked the facts. It never made any effort to understand the truth of its ‘true story.’ The story is wrong.”
“Baby Reindeer” follows Donny and his experience with a stalker. (Netflix)
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Representatives for Netflix did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
“Baby Reindeer” is based on Gadd’s one-man play and launched on Netflix in April. The seven-episode series followed Gadd in a fictionalized version of himself through the character Donny Dunn.Â
Gadd claimed in interviews he changed details about the real-life Martha, but internet sleuths found Harvey’s social media posts that mirrored similar phrases used in the series.