Baby Reindeer's real life 'Martha' sues Netflix for defamation

The woman claiming to be the real-life inspiration for the character Martha on the hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer is suing the streaming platform for US$170 million (NZ$274.1m), saying she has been defamed and the show intentionally caused emotional distress by telling "brutal lies" about her.

Filed in California, the lawsuit said Fiona Harvey's life had been ruined by the series, written by comic Richard Gadd, about a struggling comedian who meets Martha in the bar where he works and soon discovers she is a dangerous serial stalker.

"Simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed her reputation, her character and her life," the lawsuit read. 

The first episode of Baby Reindeer begins: "This is a true story". The series goes on to say Martha was a twice-convicted stalker sentenced to five years in prison and she sexually assaulted Gadd.

According to the lawsuit, this was "the biggest lie in television history".

"It is a lie told by Netflix and the show's creator, Richard Gadd, out of greed and lust for fame; a lie designed to attract more viewers, get more attention, to make more money, and to viciously destroy the life of Plaintiff, Fiona Harvey."

Baby Reindeer claimed she sent Gadd more than 41,000 emails, 744 tweets, 100 pages of letters and 350 hours of voicemails.

However, appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored to "set the record straight", Harvey said she only met Gadd three times and some of the emails she sent him were just "jokey banter".

Since appearing on Morgan's show, Harvey has demanded the controversial broadcaster pay her NZ$2.08 million - saying the NZ$500 she was offered for the interview was a "piddling" amount. 

The woman claiming to be the real-life inspiration for the character Martha on the hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer is suing the streaming platform for US$170 million (NZ$274.1m), saying she has been defamed and the show intentionally caused emotional distress by telling "brutal lies" about her.

Filed in California, the lawsuit said Fiona Harvey's life had been ruined by the series, written by comic Richard Gadd, about a struggling comedian who meets Martha in the bar where he works and soon discovers she is a dangerous serial stalker.

"Simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed her reputation, her character and her life," the lawsuit read. 

The first episode of Baby Reindeer begins: "This is a true story". The series goes on to say Martha was a twice-convicted stalker sentenced to five years in prison and she sexually assaulted Gadd.

According to the lawsuit, this was "the biggest lie in television history".

"It is a lie told by Netflix and the show's creator, Richard Gadd, out of greed and lust for fame; a lie designed to attract more viewers, get more attention, to make more money, and to viciously destroy the life of Plaintiff, Fiona Harvey."

Baby Reindeer claimed she sent Gadd more than 41,000 emails, 744 tweets, 100 pages of letters and 350 hours of voicemails.

However, appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored to "set the record straight", Harvey said she only met Gadd three times and some of the emails she sent him were just "jokey banter".

Since appearing on Morgan's show, Harvey has demanded the controversial broadcaster pay her NZ$2.08 million - saying the NZ$500 she was offered for the interview was a "piddling" amount. 

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