Fiona Harvey, the alleged “real Martha” depicted in Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, is suing the streaming service. She is seeking monetary damages of at least $170 million.
Per Variety, Harvey filed a lawsuit against Netflix on Thursday, June 6, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
A copy of Harvey’s complaint can be viewed by clicking here.
Why is Fiona Harvey suing Netflix over Baby Reindeer?
Harvey has publicly stated that Martha, played by Jessica Gunning in the miniseries created by Richard Gadd, is based on her. Her complaint states that the miniseries is “the biggest lie in television history” that was told “out of greed and lust for fame.”
“[It’s] a lie designed to attract more viewers, get more attention, to make more money, and to viciously destroy the life of Plaintiff, Fiona Harvey – an innocent woman defamed by Netflix and Richard Gadd at a magnitude and scale without precedent,” the complaint further states.
More specifically, Harvey is suing Netflix for “defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence, and violations of [her] right of publicity.”
The complaint continues, “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.”
Baby Reindeer never specifically mentions Harvey by name in the series, though the first episode does include a title card reading, “This is a true story.” The complaint mentions a 2014 tweet from @FionaHarvey2014 to @Mr.Richard Gadd reading, “my curtains need hung badly,” which was “publicly searchable on X when Baby Reindeer was released in April 2024, and easily found.” It continues, “Within days after the release of Baby Reindeer on April 11, 2024, members of the public identified Fiona Harvey as ‘Martha.’”
Baby Reindeer sees Gadd play a fictionalized version of himself, named Donny Dunn, who is stalked and sexually assaulted by a woman named Martha. The Netflix miniseries is adapted from an autobiographical one-man show created by Gadd.
Variety’s article notes that Gadd is not named as a defendant in Harvey’s lawsuit.
