Netflix has admitted that Baby Reindeer’s real-life Martha Scott was never convicted of stalking the show’s writer and star, Richard Gadd, an admission that could have an impact on the outcome of the $170m defamation lawsuit against the streamer.
Scottish lawyer Fiona Harvey, who claims to be the inspiration behind the show’s antagonist Martha (Jessica Gunning), is suing Netflix for defamation.
In the show, Martha is shown pleading guilty to stalking and being sentenced to prison. The series is billed as a “true story,” which Harvey argues in her lawsuit is “the biggest lie in television history.”
When Netflix’s senior UK director of public policy, Benjamin King, appeared in UK Parliament before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in May, he argued that Baby Reindeer was a “true story of the horrific abuse” suffered by Gadd “at the hands of a convicted stalker.”
However, committee member John Nicolson then wrote to Netflix asking for evidence to back up this claim.
In his response, King wrote: “I wanted to clarify our understanding that the person on whom the show is based – who we have at no point sought to identify – was subject to a court order rather than a conviction.”
King added: “The writer of Baby Reindeer endured serious harassment over many months (as it now seems has been the case for many others), which had a significant impact on his wellbeing.”
Earlier this week, Gadd backed Netflix in their effort to dismiss Harvey’s lawsuit.
While Gadd isn’t named as a defendant in the $50m (£39m) lawsuit, he filed a response in federal court defending a motion to dismiss Harvey’s claim in a declaration dated 28 July.
In the 21-page document, Gadd describes the alleged ordeal he underwent while he knew Harvey.
“Overall, it was an incredibly stressful and worrying time, with a sustained period of relentless behaviour taking place over several years,” he writes.
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“It is impossible to be exhaustive in setting out all of Harvey’s conduct, as there were so many instances of unwelcome personal interaction and attempts to engage, as well as deeply troubling communication.”
However, he also argues that Martha is a fictional character.
“I never intended the Series to identify any real person as Martha Scott, including Harvey,” writes Gadd. “Martha Scott is not Fiona Harvey. Like all characters in the Series, Martha is a fictional character with fictional personality traits that are very different than Harvey’s.”