The real-life Martha from Baby Reindeer is reportedly planning to take Netflix to court for a whopping $70million (£50m).
American attorneys representing Fiona Harvey lodged a complaint against the streaming platform. The Daily Record has obtained documents in which Richard A Roth and his New York-based firm, Roth Law, demand a jury trial at the United States District Court Central District Of California to hold the broadcaster accountable.
They allege that Netflix “lied” by stating that Richard Gadd’s seven-part series narrated the true tale of his harassment by a convicted stalker who had served time in prison and sexually assaulted him, all driven by “greed”.
The complaint kicks off with: “‘This is a true story. – Baby Reindeer, Episode 1’. The above quote from the first episode of the Netflix series, Baby Reindeer, is the biggest lie in television history.
READ MORE:Piers Morgan breaks silence as Baby Reindeer’s ‘real’ Martha demands £1m for interview
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“It is a lie spun by Netflix and the show’s creator, Richard Gadd, fuelled by greed and a thirst for fame; a lie crafted to draw more viewers, garner more attention, rake in more money, and ruthlessly ruin the life of Plaintiff an innocent woman slandered by Netflix and Richard Gadd on an unprecedented scale.
(Image: ITV)
“This is an action by Plaintiff against Defendants Netflix, Inc. and Netflix Worldwide Entertainment (collectively “Netflix”), for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence, and violations of her right of publicity, arising out of the brutal lies Defendants told about her in the television series, Baby Reindeer.
“The lies that Defendants told about her to over 50million people worldwide include that she is a twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison and that she sexually assaulted Gadd. Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money.
(Image: Netflix)
“And Netflix, a multi-national billion-dollar entertainment streaming company did literally nothing to confirm the ‘true story’ that Gadd told. That is, it never investigated whether she was convicted, a very serious misrepresentation of the facts. It did nothing to understand the relationship between Gadd and her, if any.
“It did nothing to determine whether other facts, including an assault, the alleged stalking or the conviction was accurate. It did nothing to understand whether Gadd’s production, which ruined her was accurate. As a result of Defendants’ lies, malfeasance and utterly reckless misconduct, her life had been ruined. Simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed her reputation, her character and her life.”
(Image: @PiersMorganUncensored/YouTube)
The woman’s legal team is gunning for a trial to chase “actual damages” of a jaw-dropping $50m, plus the cost of legal fees and statutory interest. They’re after a judgment against the defendants for this hefty sum, which they reckon is more than $50m, not counting the legal costs.
They want compensation for mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and business losses, all to the tune of over $50m, excluding legal fees.
They’re also demanding all profits from the hit show Baby Reindeer, expecting it to be over $50m, again not including legal fees. On top of that, they’re going for punitive damages believed to be over $20m, with pre-judgment interest from the date of the alleged wrongdoings until the judgment is passed, as well as any applicable post-judgment interest, and they want their attorneys’ fees covered too.
In the show, the character which is believed to be based on Fiona – Martha – is played by actress Jessica Gunning.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
