‘Baby Reindeer’ defamation lawsuit gets trial date

Deadline is reporting that a defamation lawsuit centering on Netflix’s Emmy-nominated hit Baby Reindeer could have its day in court in May 2025.

A federal judge has set a trial date of May 6, 2025, in the $170 million suit against the streamer from Fiona Harvey, who claims the show’s stalker, Martha Scott, was based on her interactions with its creator, writer and star Richard Gadd.

As reported, Gadd claimed a chance meeting with Harvey at the pub where he worked led to her sending him “thousands of emails, hundreds of voicemails, and a number of handwritten letters” that “often included sexually explicit, violent, and derogatory content, hateful speech, and threats.”

In the series, Scott does the same to Gadd’s character, Donny, eventually leading to her being charged by police — something Harvey claims never happened in real life.

Gadd had previously said he’d testify against Harvey should the need arise, but insisted that his series “is not a documentary” and that “Martha Scott is not Fiona Harvey.”

He also said it was Harvey who outed herself, claiming she inspired the Martha character in an interview with Piers Morgan. In the same interview, she also denied sending Gadd “thousands” of messages — some of which Gadd attached to his formal statement as proof.

The trade notes there is a strong chance the matter will be settled before going in front of a jury.

Meanwhile, Baby Reindeer already won a pair of trophies at the Creative Arts Emmys, and Gadd is nominated for Sunday night’s ceremony for both his writing and his performance in the Best Limited or Anthology Series and Lead Actor categories.

His onscreen stalker, played by Jessica Gunning, snagged a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.