Baby Reindeer subject moving forward with lawsuit against Netflix

Last Updated on May 24, 2024

Some people run away by packing their bags. Others run away by standing in one place for too long. Others don’t run away at all. And that’s just what Fiona Harvey – who says she is the inspiration for Martha in Baby Reindeer – is refusing to do, pressing forward with her lawsuit against Netflix.

The lawsuit stems partly from Netflix allegedly making no attempt to contact Harvey leading up to and after Baby Reindeer becoming a hit for the service. Chris Daw KC, a barrister working with Harvey, said that the series also grossly misrepresented her persona and past, thus profiting from false portrayals. “Portraying someone as a convicted criminal who has done time in prison, when that is not true, is a pretty clear cut case of defamation, as it is bound to cause serious harm to that person’s reputation…There are strict laws on the use of a person’s image for commercial gain, particularly in the U.S., which do not seem to have been considered.”

In Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, the character of Martha Scott is depicted as stalking Donny Dunn – portrayed by series creator Richard Gadd, whose real life supposedly inspired the story – and subsequently ending up in prison. However, there are apparently no convictions against Fiona Harvey; this, in addition to being unhappy that Netflix has continued to fail to reach out, have led to legal action, something she has been threatening.

In addition to Netflix, Harvey has also gone after Baby Reindeer creator Gadd, saying he suffers from “main character syndrome.” Gadd initially pleaded with viewers to not try to identify the actual people who inspired the characters, saying it would only harm their experience. But now that Harvey has outed herself, Gadd and Netflix may have no choice but to confront what he tried to stop. In the meantime, Netflix has been mum on the lawsuit.

Baby Reindeer hit Netflix just over one month ago but all that has followed so far has become a saga in its own right. Harvey even has some issues with Piers Morgan following a rather exploitative interview, saying she was offered a lowball number to appear but thinks she deserves £1 million (around $1.27 million) for what he has made off of the sitdown.

Do you see Fiona Harvey being successful in her lawsuit against Netflix?