Netflix is facing legal challenges over Baby Reindeer, which has been ruled out for not living up to its label as a "True Story."
On Friday, September 27, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner has allowed a key defamation claim to proceed in a lawsuit against Netflix regarding its portrayal of a woman as a stalker in Richard Gadd's series.
While this claim will be further examined, other allegations in the lawsuit have been dismissed by the court.
Fiona Harvey, who claims to be the inspiration for the character Martha, played by Emmy-winning actress Jessica Gunning, has filed a $170 million lawsuit against Netflix in June.
She alleges that the series falsely implies she sexually assaulted Gadd, gouged his eyes, and was imprisoned for stalking him.
In July, Netflix filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. In his defense, Gadd stated that Harvey stalked him for years while he worked at a London pub, where she allegedly pinched his buttocks and sent him thousands of disturbing emails and voicemails.
The Emmy winning writer reported her to the police and received a "harassment warning," although she was never criminally prosecuted or jailed, contrary to the show's depiction of her as a twice-convicted stalker sentenced to five years in prison for sexual assault.
"There is a major difference between stalking and being convicted of stalking in a court of law," the judge wrote, according to Variety. "Likewise, there are significant differences between inappropriate touching and sexual assault, as well as between shoving and gouging another’s eyes."
The court added that while Harvey’s alleged actions are reprehensible, the defendants’ statements carry a greater weight and could have a different impact on viewers.
The lawsuit also claims that Netflix "did literally nothing" to verify the statements in the series, which is presented as a true story regarding Harvey.