Coming off an armful of big Emmy wins earlier this month, Baby Reindeer and Netflix took a big hit today as a federal judge ruled the big bucks defamation case against the dark comedy and the streamer will go forward. First filed by self-declared real life Martha in June, the $170 million action is still set for a May 6, 2025 trial start, as Netflix came up short on their free speech proclaiming anti-SLAPP defense of the so-called “true story” saga of a UK comedian stalked by a female Scottish lawyer in London. Citing the much watched and highly acclaimed Baby Reindeer ’s creator and star, the streamer has pledged from Day One “to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd ‘s right to tell his story.
” To that, Netflix did manage to see off the claims of negligence and right of publicity and get punitive damages stripped from the case — but those may end up being small victories. For, even though Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently dismissed the debate about how true the self-described “based on a true story” Baby Reindeer is as “uniquely British,” U.S.
District Judge R. Gary Klausner today had little inclination to dismiss the heart of Harvey’s case. “Defendants argue that a reasonable person would not understand that Martha is, in actual fact, Plaintiff, such that any statements about Martha would be about Plaintiff,” he wrote today about the Jessica Gunning portrayed character and how much she is or isn’t based on Harvey.
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