Why Real-Life Martha From 'Baby Reindeer' Sued OTT Platform For $170M

Fiona Harvey, the woman who claims to be the inspiration behind the character Martha Scott in Netflix's hit series Baby Reindeer, has filed a $170 million lawsuit against the streaming giant. The lawsuit, submitted on Thursday, June 6 to the US District Court for the Central District of California, accuses Netflix of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence, and violations of her right of publicity.

The series, created by 35-year-old Scottish writer and actor Richard Gadd, is based on his alleged experiences of being stalked. Harvey, however, denies being a stalker and refutes claims that she sent Gadd 41,000 emails, hundreds of voice messages, and 106 letters.

Real-Life Martha From 'Baby Reindeer' Sues Netflix for $170M

The lawsuit states, "The lies that Defendants told about Harvey to over 50 million people worldwide including 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."

The document further alleges that Netflix, despite being a billion-dollar company, did not investigate the veracity of Gadd's story. It asserts, "Netflix did nothing to confirm the 'true story' that Gadd told. It never investigated whether Harvey was convicted, a very serious misrepresentation of the facts. It did nothing to understand the relationship between Gadd and Harvey, if any. As a result of the defendants’ lies, malfeasance, and utterly reckless misconduct, Harvey's life has been ruined. Simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed her reputation, her character, and her life."

Harvey is seeking a minimum of $50 million in actual damages, $50 million in compensatory damages for "mental anguish, loss of enjoyment, and loss of business," $50 million for "all profits from Baby Reindeer," and an additional $20 million in punitive damages.

About the Netflix show Baby Reindeer

The gut-twisting Netflix show Baby Reindeer draws from the real-life experiences of writer and lead actor Richard Gadd, who slathered the eerie incidents with a dark comedic sauce. Depicted by a team of exceptionally talented theatre artists, the series unfolds with a haunting intensity, unveiling Gadd's journey through sexual trauma and encounters with a relentless stalker, Martha.

A fictionalised version of Gadd's real-life stalker Fiona Harvey, her character leaves viewers at the edge of their seats with every appearance. Each episode outdoes the last with its layers and layers of suspense and a palpable sense of unease. 

In a recent interview with the British broadcaster Piers Morgan, Fiona Harvey shared her account of the stalking and sexual harassment ordeal, vehemently denying she did any wrong. With a thick Scottish accent and unwavering overconfidence, Martha's character. in the show was an uncanny parallel to the 58-year-old. 

Kudos to Jessica Gunning for the outstanding performance!

Fiona Harvey's Tell-All Interview

1. In a YouTube video titled 'The Real Martha Uncensored', Fiona Harvey painted herself as innocent and adamantly claimed that she was misunderstood and unfairly targeted. Hitting at Baby Reindeer for allegedly portraying her as a criminal, she asserted that she was speaking on Piers Morgan's show to set the record straight. 

2. When asked about what she thought of the show, Harvey said that she had not watched it. “I think I’d be sick,” she expressed. However, she said that she had become aware of her connection to it after reading news media reports and being contacted by journalists and went on to blame and criticise Richard Gadd. 

3. "On the internet, sleuths tracked me down and hounded me and gave me death threats," she said in the interview. "So it wasn't really a choice. I was forced into this situation." Harvey also recalled the number of times she had contacted Gadd-- a “handful” of emails and about 18 tweets, nothing more.

4. Harvey, who was reportedly a lawyer, also stated that she had about six email IDs and four phone numbers for work. The most shocking part of the interview was when she insisted that it was Gadd who was actually 'obsessed' with her. Harvey also told other media outlets that she never served jail time and was going to sue Gadd for portraying her wrongly.

5. Gadd insists that Martha is a fictional character. He told the New York Times, “Please don’t speculate on who any of the real-life people could be. That’s not the point of the show.” Harvey acknowledges that while some of the characteristics of Martha can be traced to her, she believes that the show has falsely depicted her.

Who is Harvey? Richard Gadd showed in Baby Reindeer that Martha was a scary stalker who seemed to have a pitiful life. While healing from his own psychological wounds, Donny (Gadd's character) often found himself drawn to Martha's melancholic demeanour. It was later also revealed that Martha was dealing with childhood trauma.

Fiona Harvey told Piers Morgan that she was nine years old when her parents got divorced. She said that she studied law and has been in a relationship with a lawyer for the past six years. She expressed that she hasn't had a conversation with her mother about the turmoil since her parents split up.