‘Baby Reindeer’ Creator Supports Netflix in Defamation Suit Filed by Real-Life Martha
Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd has agreed to testify in favor of Netflix should he be called as a witness in the $170 million lawsuit filed by Fiona Harvey, the alleged real-life Martha. In a response filed in federal court, Gadd — who stars in the series, but is not named as a defendant — supported Netflix in its pursuit to have the lawsuit dismissed.
Harvey’s suit alleges defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence “arising out of the brutal lies” told in the series. “I am a comedian, writer, and actor. I created, wrote, and starred in the Netflix series Baby Reindeer (the ‘Series’),” Gadd’s declaration reads. “I have personal knowledge of the facts set forth below and, if called as a witness, could and would testify competently thereto. I submit this declaration in support of defendants Netflix, Inc., and Netflix Worldwide Entertainment, LLC’s special motion to strike.”
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Netflix is hoping to argue in favor of a dismissal in Los Angeles on Sept. 3, less than three months after Harvey officially filed the lawsuit. Baby Reindeer premiered on the streaming service in April and followed the semi-autobiographical story of a struggling comedian named Donny, whose life unraveled due to the obsessive attention of the twice-convicted stalker Martha.
Gadd initially asked viewers to avoid seeking out who the involved characters were based on, stating: “If I wanted the real-life people to be found, I would’ve made it a documentary.” Still, some went digging anyway and managed to uncover Harvey’s identity based on a decade-old tweet. The 34-page lawsuit claims: “After being identified, the press in London began to contact Harvey, and the hatred towards Harvey on Internet forums such as Reddit and TikTok reached extreme levels including death threats.”
The lawsuit also pushed back against the marketing of Baby Reindeer as being a true story. It cited a May 2024 meeting where Netflix executive Benjamin King addressed the House of Commons, saying: “Baby Reindeer is obviously a true story of the horrific abuse that [Richard Gadd] suffered at the hands of a convicted stalker.” Legal representatives for Harvey have maintained that she is “not a convicted stalker and King’s and Netflix’s statement is a defamatory lie.”
In Gadd’s 21-page declaration, he reiterates that a connection was never meant to be made between Harvey and the character of Martha. “I never intended the Series to identify any real person as Martha Scott, including Harvey,” the declaration reads. “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.”
He adds: “I was surprised that Harvey appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored. Though I have only watched certain segments, I understand she claimed that she was the inspiration for the Martha character, and that she never sent me thousands of emails nor left me any voicemails. She harassed and stalked me over several years, and since her interview, other individuals have contacted me through my agents and publicists and said they were also harassed by Harvey, but all were too scared of her to come forward.”
Earlier in the declaration, Gadd claims that it would be “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” over the period of several years.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, submitted when the lawsuit was initially filed in June, a Netflix spokesperson said: “We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.”
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