Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd has responded to Fiona Harvey’s defamation lawsuit against Netflix.
Following the success of the comedian’s miniseries, Harvey came forward and identified herself as the inspiration behind the character Martha Scott, who stalks Gadd’s character Donny Dunn in the show.
She denied stalking Gadd in an interview with Piers Morgan and subsequently filed a $170 million (£132 million) defamation lawsuit against the streaming service in June.
In a declaration submitted to a U.S. federal court on Monday, the Scottish star supported Netflix in its bid to dismiss the legal action.
“I am a comedian, writer, and actor. I created, wrote, and starred in the Netflix series Baby Reindeer (the ‘Series’),” he wrote, reports Deadline. “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 his 21-page declaration, Gadd insisted the series presented “a microcosm of the sheer scale of her targeted harassment”.
“Overall, it was an incredibly stressful and worrying time, with a sustained period of relentless behaviour taking place over several years,” he stated. “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.”
He expressed surprise at Harvey’s appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored and addressed her claims.
“I never intended the Series to identify any real person as Martha Scott, including Harvey,” he wrote. “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.
“She harassed and stalked me over several years, and since her interview, other individuals have contacted me through my agents and publicists and said they were also harassed by Harvey, but all were too scared of her to come forward.”
Gadd did not address the “this is a true story” card at the start of the show, which Harvey called “the biggest lie in television history”.
Earlier this month, Baby Reindeer was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards, including Best Limited or Anthology Series and nods for Gadd and his co-star Jessica Gunning, among others.
