We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.”
entertainment
Netflix’s ‘Baby Reindeer‘ has been one of the major TV talking points of the last few months and the drama continues off-screen.
The woman claiming to be the real-life Martha in the Richard Gadd show is now suing Netflix for at least $170 million in damages.
Fiona Garvey is alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and violations of her right of publicity. She has publicly stated that the character of Martha, played by Jessica Gunning, is based on her and did a controversial interview with Piers Morgan to defend herself.
The suit was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. a copy of which can be found here.
It reads: “The lies that Defendants told about Harvey to over 50 million people worldwide include that Harvey is a twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison, and that Harvey sexually assaulted Gadd. Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money.”
The lawsuit continues, “As a result of Defendants’ lies, malfeasance and utterly reckless misconduct, Harvey’s life had been ruined. Simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed her reputation, her character and her life.”
In a statement, a Netflix rep said: “We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.”
Richard Gadd is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit and has not commented yet.