Woman Who Claims She Inspired ‘Baby Reindeer’ Sues Netflix For Defamation

Netflix’s latest word-of-mouth hit, Baby Reindeer, is now the subject of a legal battle.

A woman who claims to have inspired the popular show’s storyline is now suing Netflix for at tens of millions of dollars in damages, along with a share of the series’ profits, claiming the show defamed her, caused intentional emotional distress, and violated her rights.

Baby Reindeer, which has been viewed by tens of millions of Netflix subscribers to date, was created by and stars Richard Gadd, and was based on his one-man show of the same name as well as actual events in Gadd’s life. Gadd plays Donny, an aspiring comedian who meets a woman named Martha while he’s bartending. Donny’s kindness toward Martha comes back to haunt him when she quickly becomes obsessed with him.

According to Variety, the woman filing the suit, Fiona Harvey, claims that the character of Martha is based on her and that the show’s “lies, malfeasance and utterly reckless misconduct ... destroyed her reputation, her character and her life.”

The suit does not list Gadd as a defendant.

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Contrary to a disclaimer at the start of Baby Reindeer calling it a “true story,” Harvey’s complaint alleges that the show is “the biggest lie in television history” and that Harvey has been “defamed by Netflix and Richard Gadd at a magnitude and scale without precedent.”

Gadd did not publicly identify anyone as the inspiration for Martha or Baby Reindeer, but fans of the show identified Harvey based on her social media profile and personal history. She recently appeared on Piers Morgan’s talk show, where she denied stalking Gadd or anyone else, but did concede that, like on the show, she had nicknamed the comedian “Baby Reindeer.”

At that time, she called Baby Reindeer “a work of hyperbole” and said she was considering a lawsuit against Netflix.

You can read the full legal complaint here.