A woman who claims to be the inspiration for the stalker in Baby Reindeer is suing Netflix for $170 million. Here’s everything we know, including Richard Gadd’s response.
Fiona Harvey sues, goes on Piers Morgan
June 7, 2024: A woman who claims to have been the inspiration for Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer is suing Netflix, reports AP. She filed a defamation lawsuit in a federal court in Los Angeles and is seeking damages of at least $170 million. “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,†the lawsuit states. “Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money.†She also claims that one of the first lines of the show, “This is a true story,†is “the biggest lie in television history†in court documents.
In a statement to Vulture, a Netflix spokesperson stated in response to the lawsuit news: “We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.†Last month, the Plaintiff had been interviewed by the Daily Mail and Piers Morgan and claimed she came forward because fans of the show had uncovered her identity and had begun harassing her.
Richard Gadd’s response
July 30, 2024: Richard Gadd has responded to Fiona Harvey’s lawsuit. He filed a 21-page document detailing “exhausting and extremely upsetting†stalking at the hands of the plaintiff. According to the Guardian, the filing claims Baby Reindeer is a “fictionalised retelling of my emotional journey through several extremely traumatic real experiences.†It is not just a factual account, in other words, but art that doesn’t claim any 1:1 relationship with any one person “I did not write the Series as a representation of actual facts about any real person, including Fiona Harvey,†Gadd states. “Martha Scott is not Fiona Harvey.â€