The baby reindeer lawsuit is a lawsuit filed in a court in California in which Fiona Harvey the plaintiff is suing Netflix and specifically comedian Richard Gadd, the baby reindeer show creator for what she terms as defamation, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
In the lawsuit, Fiona claims that the character Martha in Reindeer is purely based on her and portrays her as a stalker harassing the show’s protagonist. Fiona claims that this view and perception of her is a brutal lie which has caused her emotional distress.  In the lawsuit documents seen, Fiona claims that Netflix was negligent as it failed to verify the story falsely presenting as it as true in the end.
The Damages Settlement Sought By Fiona in the Baby Reindeer Lawsuit
Fiona Harvey through her lawyers is seeking damages settlement of up to $170 million dollars. Â These damages are broken down into several categories which include: $50 million dollars compensation for the actual damages, another $50 million compensation for emotional distress caused and the subsequent loss of business from the same.
On top of that, Fiona is also demanding to be compensated all the profits from the baby reindeer program and other punitive damages arising from the airing of the show. This settlement is visibly huge and it shall wait to be seen whether Netflix will pay the settlement as demanded eventually.
Netflix Response to the Baby Reindeer Lawsuit
As expected, Netflix has refuted all the allegations in the baby reindeer lawsuit by claiming that the show was a true story. Â However, the issue of the show being a true story is up for contention as a lot of the characters and events in the show were fictionalized.
Even though the case is still in its early stages and no decision made yet, its success rests heavily on whether the character Martha in the show is recognizable as Fiona and whether the entire portrayal of the character is defamatory.
The Current Status of the Case
The baby reindeer lawsuit is still ongoing in a California court. Though there is a good chance Netflix might be found culpable of wrong doing given the highly fictionalized nature of the baby reindeer, Netflix has vowed to defend Richard Gag’s case and allow him to tell his side of the story.
This move by Netflix is seen as an attempt to fight off these allegations and clear its name though judging by the nature of this case they may not be able to do so successfully. The charges put forward by Fiona look strong and watertight and there is a high chance they may result in a damages settlement. Â What is not clear as of now is whether the court will grant the plaintiff the full demanded compensation or not.
As for Harvey, she still maintains that the character of Martha in baby reindeer was portrayal of her and she is willing to defend this position with all her might and breath. Fiona claims that the baby reindeer is not a true story at all adding that she is not stalker and she has never been convicted of such an offence before.
