Baby Reindeer's Real-Life 'Martha' Files $170 Million Lawsuit Against Netflix for Her Portrayal on the Show

Fiona Harvey is suing Netflix for claims of defamation, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, violations of right of publicity and more

Fiona Harvey on Piers Morgan's Uncensored
Fiona Harvey on 'Piers Morgan's Uncensored'. Photo:

Piers Morgan Uncensored/Youtube

Fiona Harvey, who is allegedly the real-life inspiration for Martha on Baby Reindeer, is suing Netflix.

In a lawsuit filed on Thursday, June 6, Harvey claims the portrayal of the obsessive stalker Martha in the hit show is defamatory and inaccurate. Harvey is asking for more $170 million, accusing Netflix and creator Richard Gadd of making it easy for viewers of the limited series to find her identity and "destroying" her livelihood, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. TMZ was the first to break the news.

Per the documents, Harvey is seeking at $50 million in actual damages from the streamer in addition to at least $50 million in compensatory damages due to “mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of business” and at least $50 million “for all profits from Baby Reindeer”. She is also asking for least $20 million in punitive damages. Those totals exclude "legal fees, costs and statutory interest."

"'This is a true story.' - Baby Reindeer, Episode 1. The above quote from the first episode of the Netflix series, Baby Reindeer, is the biggest lie in television history," the lawsuit begins. "It is a lie told by Netflix and the show’s creator, Richard Gadd, out of greed and lust for fame; a lie designed to attract more viewers, get more attention, to make more money, and to viciously destroy the life of Plaintiff, Fiona Harvey – an innocent woman defamed by Netflix and Richard Gadd at a magnitude and scale without precedent."

Harvey is claiming that Gadd, who wrote Baby Reindeer after his real-life experience with a stalker, put several exact phrases she had said to him in the episodes and gave Martha her same job — a lawyer.

Fiona Harvey on Piers Morgan's Uncensored; Richard Gadd attends the 2024 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at The Royal Festival Hall on May 12, 2024 in London, England.
(L-R) Fiona Harvey and Richard Gadd.

Piers Morgan Uncensored/Youtube; Joe Maher/Getty

Harvey says that she has been harassed and her reputation has been damaged due to Martha’s characteristics on the show. She also vehemently denied sexually assaulting Gadd and being a convicted stalker, both of which are central storylines in the limited series.

"Netflix, a multi-national billion dollar entertainment streaming company did literally nothing to confirm the 'true story' that Gadd told," the documents read. "That is, 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. It did nothing to determine whether other facts, including an assault, the alleged stalking or the conviction was accurate."

Because Gadd incorporated many of Harvey’s true qualities in Martha, she says the public was led to believe all of Martha’s characteristics were based on fact. For this reason, she says Netflix is liable for misleading viewers.

In addition to defamation, Harvey is suing for negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, violations of right of publicity and more, per TMZ.

"The Complaint is self-explanatory," Harvey's attorneys said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. "Netflix destroyed a woman, claiming, among many allegations, that she was a convicted woman. It never contacted her. It never checked the facts. It never made any effort to understand the truth of its 'true story!'"

"We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd's right to tell his story," a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement to PEOPLE.

PEOPLE has reached out to Gadd for comment.

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The True Story Behind Baby Reindeer
Jessica Gunning as Martha on Netflix's 'Baby Reindeer'.

Ed Miller/Netflix

Last month, Harvey shared her side of the story in an interview with Piers Morgan, calling the accusations "nonsense." When asked about the 41,000 emails and 350 hours of voicemails she allegedly sent Gadd while stalking him, Harvey said that it is "simply not true."

"If somebody was sending somebody 41,000 emails or something, they'd be doing how many a day? Lots," she said. "None of that's true. I don't think I sent him anything … No, I think there may have been a couple of emails exchanged, but that was it. Just jokey banter emails."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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