Baby Reindeer, Netflix's Emmy-winning series, has plunged the streaming service into a legal battle, set to begin next year over a $170 million defamation lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed by Fiona Harvey, claims that the portrayal of Martha Scott, allegedly based on her, has resulted in personal harm and damage to her reputation. A federal judge has set the trial date for May 6, 2025.
Harvey is suing Netflix for defamation, emotional distress, negligence, and violations of her right to publicity, seeking $170 million for damages, lost enjoyment, lost business, and profits from Baby Reindeer. Netflix plans to defend itself, citing support for Richard Gadd's right to tell his story.
Fiona Harvey admits to being the inspiration for Martha Scott in Baby Reindeer
According to the internet, Fiona Harvey is the inspiration behind Baby Reindeer—the show loosely based on a period in Richard Gadd's life in the 2010s. According to the show, a woman, Martha Scott, took a liking to him and began stalking him for about three years. She allegedly sent him over 41,000 emails and about 350 hours of voicemails, among other things. Gadd plays a version of himself, Donny Dunn.
Soon, people started getting curious about who the woman might be in real life, and as one thing led to another, Harvey was being labeled the stalker. While Gadd himself claimed in April 2024 that the show had made all efforts to keep the stalker's identity under wraps, the internet surmised anyway, drawing comparisons between Martha and Harvey.
That same month, Gadd took to Instagram to plead with fans to let the guessing game quiet down, but the internet proved relentless. In July, he told the world in no uncertain terms that "Martha Scott is not Fiona Harvey." He added that she was just a "fictional character with fictional personality traits," different from those of Harvey's.
Yet, soon enough, Harvey herself admitted to being the inspiration behind the show Baby Reindeer. In May 2024, she sat down for a YouTube interview with Piers Morgan about the damage caused. According to her, she became a subject of the series against her wishes, stating:
"It's taken over enough of my life. I find it quite obscene. I find it horrifying, misogynistic. Some of the death threats have been really terrible online. People phoning me up. It's been absolutely horrendous."
However, she claimed that she was no stalker at all; rather, she was just engaging in "banter" with Gadd. She opened up about wanting to sue Netflix, as well as Gadd, for the abuse and death threats hurled at her online.
Piers Morgan seemingly agreed with her, as he noted that despite the efforts taken for Baby Reindeer, "the Netflix and Richard Gadd duty of care has been a spectacular failure."
However, the streaming company's case thus far is contingent upon Harvey's claims being "insufficiently pled." In a filing from September 4, Netflix's lawyers, Latham & Watkins, contended:
“Given the fictional series’ context, including disclaimers and cinematic elements, that is hardly sufficient to state any claim against Netflix—and certainly not one for defamation.”
Both parties have until March 7 to work out a settlement, and if they fail to do so, the case will be going to trial.
Baby Reindeer has been nominated for numerous awards at the upcoming Primetime Emmys, slated for Sunday, September 15.
Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more updates.
