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Louise Thomas
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Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd has backed Netflix in their effort to dismiss “real Martha” Fiona Harvey’s lawsuit accusing the streamer of a litany of charges including defamation and emotional distress.
The seven-part series, written by and starring comedian Gadd, was billed by Netflix as a true story, in which his character is relentlessly harassed and stalked by a woman named Martha Scott, who he meets while working in a pub in Camden.
While Gadd isn’t named as a defendant in the $50m (£39m) lawsuit, he filed a response in federal court defending a motion to dismiss Harvey’s claim in a declaration dated 28 July.
“I am a comedian, writer, and actor. I created, wrote, and starred in the Netflix series Baby Reindeer (the ‘Series’) ,” he wrote.
“I have personal knowledge of the facts set forth below and, if called as a witness, could and would testify competently thereto. I submit this declaration in support of defendants Netflix, Inc., and Netflix Worldwide Entertainment, LLC’s special motion to strike.”
In the 21-page document, Gadd describes the alleged ordeal he underwent while he knew Harvey.
“Overall, it was an incredibly stressful and worrying time, with a sustained period of relentless behaviour taking place over several years,” he continued.
“It is impossible to be exhaustive in setting out all of Harvey’s conduct, as there were so many instances of unwelcome personal interaction and attempts to engage, as well as deeply troubling communication.”
Commenting on Harvey’s viral interview with Piers Morgan, Gadd added: “I was surprised that Harvey appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored. Though I have only watched certain segments, I understand she claimed that she was the inspiration for the Martha character, and that she never sent me thousands of emails nor left me any voicemails.”
Offering “a microcosm of the sheer scale of her targeted harassment,” Gadd also denied that Scott’s character was entirely based on Harvey.
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“I never intended the Series to identify any real person as Martha Scott, including Harvey,” he said in the document which is partially blacked out. “Martha Scott is not Fiona Harvey. Like all characters in the Series, Martha is a fictional character with fictional personality traits that are very different than Harvey’s.”
Gadd stated that he “obtained a First Instance Harassment Warning against Harvey” from UK police in 2016, which seemed to end their communication.
Harvey – who warned in May that she planned to take legal action against Netflix – reportedly alleges in the newly-filed lawsuit that she has been harassed by people across the world because of the series and failures by Netflix to sufficiently protect her identity.
The 58-year-old accuses the streaming giant of ruining her reputation with their depiction of Martha, arguing in the legal documents that she never stalked or sexually assaulted Gadd, and was not handed a criminal conviction for stalking.
