The woman who inspired the hit series “My Little Reindeer” files a complaint against Netflix for defamation

A British woman claiming to be the woman portrayed through the violent and manipulative character of “My Little Reindeer”, the latest hit series from the giant Netflix, filed a complaint for defamation against the platform on Thursday, demanding $170 million in compensation.

Fiona Harvey emerged from anonymity after fans of the series identified her as the real “Martha,” a woman spying on and harassing “Donny,” the central character of “My Little Reindeer.”

In this short seven-episode phenomenon series, released in April on Netflix, Scottish actor Richard Gadd, who plays himself, depicts the harassment he suffered for years from a woman. A “true story”, it is claimed on screen.

“This assertion (…) is the biggest lie in the history of television,” criticizes the complaint filed by Ms. Harvey in California. The latter considers that she has been defamed and accuses Netflix of having caused her moral damage.

“Lie”

“This is a lie told by Netflix and by the creator of the series, Richard Gadd, out of greed and lust for fame; it is a lie designed to attract more viewers, attention, make more money and viciously destroy the life of the complainant, Fiona Harvey,” the document continues. This, he claims, “because it was a better story than the truth.”

In the series, “Martha” harasses the comedian over several years, sending him thousands of emails and voicemails, going to the bar where he works and to his comedy shows, even going so far as to leave take from his parents and his girlfriend. She is also shown to have committed a sexual assault on the actor.

At the end of April, Richard Gadd called on Instagram for fans of the series to stop trying to discover the identity of the characters. In interviews, he said he changed details of the story in order to protect the real “Martha”, but the identity of Fiona Harvey quickly circulated on social networks, with Internet users going so far as to make threats against her. against.

After his name was made public, Fiona Harvey denied during a television interview having harassed the actor by message or even having attacked him. She says she received death threats. Netflix did not immediately respond to requests from AFP.

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AFP

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