Fiona Harvey has released a new statement explaining her Baby Reindeer lawsuit

She says it’s ‘against all those who have lied about me’

4 weeks ago

The ‘real-life Martha’ of Baby Reindeer, who we now know as Fiona Harvey, has released a fresh and detailed statement about her plans working with a legal team for a lawsuit against Netflix.

Fiona Harvey was quickly identified by online sleuths as the inspiration for Richard Gadd and Clerkenwell Films’ Baby Reindeer, which has been a huge hit since it dropped on Netflix – and since she came out and said the character of Martha was inspired by her. Baby Reindeer is billed as “a true story”, and the character of Martha is shown as the perpetrator of sexual assault, violent assault and eventually a convicted stalker. Fiona Harvey denies any of this being true about herself.

The statement from Fiona Harvey names attorney Chris Daw KC, who according to Deadline told the publication last week that he was putting together a legal team with sights on pursuing a lawsuit against Richard Gadd, Clerkenwell Films and Netflix for their part in creating Baby Reindeer.

The statement from Fiona Harvey is presented below in full:

“My name is Fiona Harvey. Earlier in 2024, Netflix released a programme called “Baby Reindeer”, which they billed and marketed as a “true story”. One of the two main characters, “Martha”, was clearly intended to be based on me. A senior Netflix executive gave evidence to parliament on oath that Baby Reindeer was “obviously a true story” of Richard Gadd’s dealings with a “convicted stalker”.

“No doubt Richard Gadd, Clerkenwell Films (who produced the programme) and Netflix have made millions of pounds from this programme, in large part by making so many claims that Baby Reindeer is a true story.

“I have no doubt that the character of “Martha” in Baby Reindeer was intended to be a portrayal of me. The problem for Richard Gadd and now for Netflix is that Baby Reindeer is not a true story at all. I am not a “convicted stalker”. I have never been charged with any crime, let alone been convicted, still less pleaded guilty and of course I have never been to prison for anything. This is how Gadd and Netflix chose to portray me in a TV show, for their own financial gain.

“Nobody ever approached me for any comment on the accuracy of Baby Reindeer, or the very serious and damaging allegation that I am a convicted criminal, with a serious criminal record, who has spent time in prison. Nobody ever asked for my permission to present me in this way or to use my image at all.

“The media firestorm around Baby Reindeer, and my rapid identification as the “real Martha”, have caused untold damage to my health, my reputation, my job prospects and my ability to make sensible decisions about my welfare and best interests. This media firestorm continues, with daily bombardments of calls seeking comment on stories of every possible kind.

“I am making this statement to make clear that I will not be making any further media comment of any kind until further notice.

“With the assistance of a senior English lawyer, Chris Daw KC, I am putting together a legal team, in the UK and in the US, to take forward legal action against all of those who have lied about me and used my image to make large sums of money for themselves, with such damaging consequences for me and my family. Chris is not formally retained on my behalf and will not be making any media statements of any kind, in relation to my position or any other media stories, until further notice.

“Once I have a legal team in place, I expect that they will make a further statement, setting out the next steps that I will be taking to deal with everything that has happened, as a direct result of the dishonest and false picture of me, painted in Baby Reindeer and in the media generally.

“In the meantime, for the good of my health, please respect my privacy and please stop the endless calls and messages, asking for interviews, comments, and so many other things. I have made clear that I am not physically able to cope with relentless harassment from journalists and, if this continues, I will make a report to the police.

“Fiona Harvey 20th May 2024”