NEW YORK — Former Manhattan prosecutor Linda Fairstein and Netflix announced Tuesday that they have resolved the issue defamation lawsuit she filed the suit four years ago for her role in the streaming service’s miniseries about the five black and Latino teenagers known as the now-exonerated Central Park Five.
Fairstein argued that the 2019 four-part series “When They See Us” defamed her portraying her as a “racist and unethical villain” and attributing actions, responsibilities and views that were not hers.
The case was expected to go to trial later this month. Fairstein said in a statement that “the decision to end this fight was not an easy one,” expressing confidence that she would have presented a “compelling case to the jury.” Although Fairstein will not receive any money as part of the settlement, Netflix has agreed to donate $1 million to the Innocence Project, a nonprofit that works to exonerate people who have been wrongfully convicted.
Viewers of the series will also now see a disclaimer that states: “Although the film is inspired by real events and people, certain characters, incidents, locations, dialogue and names are fictionalized for dramatization purposes.”
“That’s what this case is about – not about ‘winning’ or any financial restitution, but about my reputation and that of my colleagues,” she said in a statement. “It was about making it clear that the vile caricature invented by the defendants and portrayed on screen was not me.”
Fairstein was Manhattan’s top sex crimes prosecutor in 1989 when the five teenagers were charged in a violent attack on a jogger in Central Park. The convictions were overturned in 2002 after serial killer and rapist Matias Reyes confessed to committing the crime alone. DNA linked him to it.
Fairstein, who became a best-selling crime author after retiring from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, observed the boys’ interrogation but did not try the case himself.
She was abandoned by her editor and resigned from several boards he served on after the premiere of “When They See Us,” which dramatizes the events surrounding the trial.
Ava DuVernay, who directed and co-wrote the series, and Attica Locke, the series’ writer and producer, were named as defendants in the defamation suit. DuVernay said in a statement posted on the social media platform X that she still believes Fairstein was responsible for the investigation and prosecution of the five teens.
“As head of the Manhattan Sex Crimes unit, Linda Fairstein was at the station for more than 35 hours straight while the boys were questioned as adults, often without their parents present,” she said, claiming that Fairstein knew what was going on. in interrogation rooms. .
DuVernay accused Fairstein of being unwilling to face a jury of her peers.
“I hope that one day Linda Fairstein can come to terms with the role she played in this miscarriage of justice and finally accept responsibility,” she said.
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