Netflix legal battle with real Martha behind 'Baby Reindeer' takes ugly turn

Netflix hit show Baby Reindeer seems to be losing on legal grounds after recent admission.

In a letter sent to the British Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee, the streaming giant has claimed that Fiona Harvey, the real person behind Baby Reindeer’s obsessive character Martha, wasn’t a convicted stalker.

“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," Netflix’s senior UK director of public policy, Benjamin King, wrote in the letter, per Deadline.

The recent claim comes after Netflix was asked in May to provide evidence supporting claims made about Harvey since the Richard Gadd-led series was advertised as a 'true story.'

“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," King further addressed in the letter, which a Netflix spokesperson told People was the same letter that was made publicly available since 23 March, way before they were sued.

Netflix was then countered by Harvey's attorney in a statement given to the same outlet, stating, "It is nothing short of remarkable that Netflix sent a formal letter to Parliament informing it that Baby Reindeer was based on Fiona Harvey and yet Gadd stated, in a sworn affidavit under oath submitted by Netflix to the United States Court that 'I did not write the Series as a representation of actual facts about any real person, including Fiona Harvey.' In the end, it appears that either Netflix submitted a false letter to Parliament or a false declaration to a US District Court. Its conduct is reprehensible."

For those unversed, the series revolves around Gadd’s character, Donny, a bartender who is subjected to harassment by the woman, Martha [based on Harvey] for four years. 

Gadd allegedly received 41,071 emails, 350 hours of voicemail, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages, and 106 pages of letters from her.

In June, Harvey sued Netflix for more than $170 million on charges of defamation and inaccuracy, as the writer gave Martha the same profession and wrote exact phrases she said to him. She added that she faced harassment over the portrayal of the character.

In response to her filing, Gadd issued a 20-page declaration to support Netflix’s request to have Harvey's defamation lawsuit thrown out.

He also stated that Harvey was the one who “identified herself to the press as Martha,” as he never made a connection between the fictional character and his real-life stalker.

Baby Reindeer was released on Netflix in April 2024.