The lawyer for Fiona Harvey has explained why he’s decided to take Netflix on in a massive lawsuit (Picture: Piers Morgan Uncensored)
The lawyer representing Fiona Harvey in her mammoth $170,000,000 defamation action against Netflix has explained why he decided to take her case on.
Two months ago, Richard Gadd’s hit series Baby Reindeer was released on the streaming platform, which stated at the start that what was to come was ‘a true story’.
The seven-episode series saw comedian Gadd play amateur comedian Donny, who over the course of several years is stalked and abused by Martha, played by Jessica Gunning.
However soon after its release, internet sleuths seemingly found the ‘real Martha’ – 58-year-old Scottish lawyer Harvey.
She then went on to be interviewed on Piers Morgan Uncensored and denied the storylines in the show as being a true reflection of her or her past actions, also claiming Gadd was ‘obsessed’ with her.
Then, earlier this month, it was revealed Harvey was taking the streaming giant and Gadd to court, demanding the equivalent of £132,000,000 for her supposed depiction in the series.
The ‘real Martha’ Fiona Harvey is suing the streaming giant for$170,000,000 (Picture: Ed Miller/ Netflix/ Avalon)
She is alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and violations of her right of publicity.
A few weeks on, her lawyer has spoken publicly for the first time and said Netflix ‘should be ashamed of itself’.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Richard Roth has explained the four factors about taking on the case that ‘appealed’ to him.
‘One: I really think there’s a whole issue that goes on in this world about truth. It’s huge in this country, about fake news. Everyone watches things, and they come away from it, whether it’s Fox TV or NBC … it’s all about what you see. And that really is a shame,’ he said.
Netflix introduced the show as being a ‘true story’ (Picture: Ed Miller/Netflix / Avalon)
‘And one problem with this case is that truth is truth. There’s only one truth, but when Netflix says this is a true story, that’s rubbish. This isn’t a true story. And I think if Netflix is going to say this is a true story, then they have an obligation to make it a true story. That’s the first thing.’
He then said it was ‘horrific’ that Harvey, who he described as ‘vulnerable’, had been ‘thrust in the limelight and getting death threats’.
The lawyer claimed his client now can’t leave her apartment, taking aim at Gadd for ‘exploiting’ her.
He then admitted the ‘tremendous amount of money’ had drawn him in.
Richard Gadd played Donny, a comedian and version of himself (Picture: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock)
Finally, he said the fourth thing that made him take on the job was the ‘excitement’ associated with it.
‘I strongly believe that Fiona has been wronged here, and, by pursuing the litigation, the case will be a fulfilling win. I tell Netflix to bring it on,’ he said.
In in the interview Roth said that Harvey was a ‘wonderful human being’ and slammed the ‘misogynistic’ attacks she’d allegedly been subjected to.
He added that litigation ‘takes awhile’ and the case would continue ‘well into next year’.
Martha was played by Jessica Gunning (Picture: Ed Miller/Netflix)
In a previous statement to the publication, Harvey said she had ‘no doubt’ the character of Martha was intended to be a portrayal of her.
‘Nobody ever asked for my permission to present me in this way or to use my image at all,’ she said.
Netflix has previously said it ‘intends to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story’.
Baby Reindeer is now one of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time, being the 10th-most-watched programme in its history.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Netflix for comment.
Baby Reindeer is streaming on Netflix.
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