A judge recently ruled that the Netflix series ‘Baby Reindeer’ cannot be considered a ‘true story’ as it was originally presented.
This ruling allows Fiona Harvey, the real-life person behind the character ‘Martha,’ to continue with her defamation lawsuit against the streaming service.
As per Variety, Judge Gary Klausner said the show’s opening line, ‘This is a true story,’ made viewers believe everything in the show was factual. But he pointed out that the actions shown in the series were much worse than what actually happened. “There is a major difference between stalking and being convicted of stalking in a court of law,” he wrote.
The show made it seem like Harvey committed sexual assault and physically attacked Gadd. “Likewise, there are major differences between inappropriate touching and sexual assault, as well as between shoving and gouging another’s eyes,” the judge explained. “While the plaintiff’s purported actions are reprehensible, the Defendants’ statements are of a worse degree and could produce a different effect in the mind of a viewer.”
Gadd created ‘Baby Reindeer’ and performed it as a stage play before it became a Netflix series. He previously said that the story was fictionalized and not meant to be an exact recount of events. He even had concerns about using the phrase ‘This is a true story,’ but it was included by Netflix’s request.
Gadd also reported that Harvey would sometimes pinch his buttocks, but she was never prosecuted or sent to jail. Gadd received a police harassment warning, but there were no criminal charges.
Harvey claims the show falsely portrayed her as someone who sexually assaulted comedian Richard Gadd, gouged his eyes, and was sent to prison for stalking him. In reality, Harvey stalked Gadd for years while he worked at a London pub and sent him numerous disturbing emails and voicemails.
The case will move forward, and Netflix will have to defend itself against Harvey’s claims.
