The woman who allegedly inspired the stalker in hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer is suing the streaming platform for $170m (£133m).
The show is said to be based on the real-life experiences of writer Richard Gadd, who plays himself as he confronts stalker Martha Scott.
Fiona Harvey, 58, says she is inspiration for martawho begins harassing Gadd after he serves her a free cup of tea at the pub where he works.
In the lawsuit, Ms. Harvey has accused Netflix of spreading “brutal lies,” including that she is a “twice-convicted stalker sentenced to five years in prison.”
“The defendants told these lies and never stopped telling them, because it was a better story than the truth, and the best stories made money,” he says.
“As a result of the defendants’ lies, malfeasance, and totally reckless misconduct, Harvey’s life was ruined.”
According to legal documents filed in federal court in California, he accuses Netflix of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence and violations of his right of publicity.
A Netflix spokesperson told Sky News: “We intend to defend this matter vigorously and defend Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.”
In an interview with journalist Piers Morgan last month, Harvey said she was “forced” to come forward after receiving online death threats from “internet detectives.”
Fiona Harvey repeatedly denied being a stalker and described the series as “a work of fiction.”
Gadd had asked fans to stop trying to figure out people behind the show’s characters, and told the Hollywood Reporter that he would have made it a documentary if he wanted the people to be found.
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US network NBC News, a Sky News partner, reports that the lawsuit described the show’s claim that “this is a true story” as “the biggest lie in the history of television.”
“Netflix destroyed a woman, claiming, among many accusations, that she was a convicted woman,” Richard Roth, Harvey’s attorney, wrote in an email.
“He never contacted her. He never fact-checked her. He never made any effort to understand the truth of her ‘true story!'”
The lawsuit seeks actual damages and compensatory damages of $50 million (£39 million) each, punitive damages of $20 million (£16 million); as well as “all profits” from Baby Reindeer for $50m (£39m).
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
