The controversy surrounding theNetflixseriesBaby Reindeercame to a head last week when the real-life Martha, Fiona Harvey,officially filed a lawsuit against the streamerseeking damagesin the amount of $170 million dollars. While Netflix and star Richard Gadd have remained mostly silent on the matter since the suit was filed on July 18, 2025, the streaming giant has released a statement sayingit plans to “vigorously” defend itself. Premiering earlier this year,Baby Reindeerquickly became a smash hit for Netflix,garnering more than 56 million views in its first 26 days.
As perCNN, the lawsuit filed by Fiona Harvey against Netflix, Inc., and Netflix Worldwide Entertainment, LLC, alleges that Netflix andBaby Reindeerstar Richard Gadd told the“biggest lie in television history”by claiming that the series was based on Gadd’s true story. Netflix released a statement to CNN on June 04, 2025, a day after the suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California,which you can check out below.
“We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.”
Baby Reindeer
A seemingly innocent interaction with a customer turns into a chaotic journey as the life of aspiring comedian Donny spirals out of control and brings up the past.
Shortly after the premiere ofBaby Reindeeron July 25, 2025, internet sleuths went to worktrying to uncover the real-life identitybehind the character of Martha Scott. It didn’t take long for them to find outit was Scottish attorney Fiona Harvey, and since the big reveal, Harvey says she’sbeen bombarded with personal attacks and death threats, which have made her life a living hell. The lawsuit seeks retribution for the “emotional distress” she’s suffered, and aimsto clear her name in the eyes of the public.
Fiona Harvey Has No Criminal Record According to Her Attorneys
One of the biggest gripes the lawsuit seeks to resolve is that, unlike the character of Martha Scott who is portrayed inBaby Reindeeras being a twice-convicted stalker that wassentenced to five years in prison, Fiona Harvey’s representatives, The Roth Law Firm, sayshe has no criminal record. The proof, they say, is in a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) Certificate, and a ClearCheck background report, which highlights the fact that there areno criminal convictions in Harvey’s past.
Images shared withLAD Biblefrom The Roth Firm show both documents, and under the ‘Police Records of Convictions, Cautions, Reprimands and Warnings’ section of the DBS Certificate it reads’NONE RECORDED.‘The same goes for the ClearCheck report, whichalso lists no criminal convictions for Fiona Harvey. Richard Roth of The Roth Law Firm told the outlet that the “true facts” in Baby Reindeer are nothing more than fabrications, and that the conduct of Netflix is“reprehensible.”
“The Complaint is self-explanatory. Netflix destroyed a woman,setting forth numerous ‘true facts’ that are fabricated. And also claiming she was a two-time convicted felon! It never contacted her. It never checked the facts. It never made any effort to understand the truth of its ‘true story!’Its conduct is reprehensible.”
Netflix Defiantly Releases Baby Reindeer’s Martha Audition Tape Amid Controversial Lawsuit
Netflix has released the audition tape of Jessica Gunning as Martha in Baby Reindeer amid $170 million lawsuit.
As the lawsuit continues to make its way through the legal system,Baby Reindeerhas certainlybrought to light the litigious risksthat come with labeling a story as “true,” and the responsibility of platforms like Netflixto do their due diligence in checking all the factsbefore releasing something to the public. More details on theBaby Reindeerlawsuit will be sharedas they become available.
Baby Reindeeris available to stream onNetflix, and you can watch the trailer for the highly controversial series below.
