Netflix has suffered a major legal blow in its defamation case over its Baby Reindeer series after a US federal judge ruled that the show was inaccurate in its portrayal of events, despite being promoted as a “true story”.
The judge allowed Fiona Harvey’s lawsuit to proceed, alleging that the character “Martha” in the show falsely portrayed her.
Harvey, who goes by the name “The Real Martha”, filed the lawsuit in June, seeking $170 million in damages, and the judge allowed the lawsuit to proceed despite Netflix’s attempts to dismiss it on the grounds of free speech law.
While the US network has managed to dismiss some of the claims related to negligence and infringement of publicity rights, the substance of the case remains.
British writer and actor Richard Gadd defended Baby Reinder, saying that Harvey had stalked him for years while he worked in a London bar, sending him thousands of harassing messages without ever being prosecuted. In his defense, he revealed that she had been issued a "harassment warning" by the police, but had not been jailed, contrary to what was depicted in the series.
But the judge found that the series, which begins with the phrase “This is a true story,” gave viewers the false impression that the events were real. He noted that Martha’s behavior in the series was far worse than what Harvey was accused of in real life, adding that the significant differences could negatively affect viewers and lead to Harvey’s reputation being tarnished.
Harvey’s name was not directly mentioned in the series, but online viewers were able to identify her through small details scattered throughout the work. The judge found that the similarities between Martha and Harvey were strong enough to lead viewers to believe that the character was actually based on the plaintiff’s life.
For its part, Netflix said that the series was based on a real experience, and that Harvey could not prove that her reputation was directly damaged by the work.
In light of these developments, Netflix is expected to reassess its legal position. So far, the company has not issued any official comment on the court’s decision, but there is speculation that the company may seriously consider settling the case to avoid further damage to its reputation.
Baby Rainier was a huge success on the artistic level, winning four Emmy Awards for the year 2024, including the award for best limited series, and the writer and star of the series, Richard Gad, won the award for best lead actor in a limited series in recognition of his dual role as writer and actor. In addition, Jessica Junning, who played the character of "Martha", won the award for best supporting actress in a limited series.
