A Scottish woman who claims to be the inspiration behind the obsessive stalker in Netflix's hit series Baby Reindeer is suing the streaming giant for defamation, negligence and privacy violations.
Variety reports Fiona Harvey, a 50-year-old Scottish attorney who says Jessica Gunning’s Martha character is based on her, has filed a $170 million lawsuit against Netflix.
Harvey, a 58-year-old attorney in London, is seeking $50 million in actual damages, $50 million in compensatory damages due to "mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of business" and another $50 million for profits from Baby Reindeer. She is also asking for least $20 million in punitive damages.
Harvey accuses Netflix and Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd, who is not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, "destroyed her reputation, her character and her life."
"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 reads. "Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money."
It doesn't sound like Netflix plans to back down from the legal battle, as a company spokesperson told Variety the company vows to "defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd's right to tell his story."
