A woman named Fiona Harvey, who claims to have inspired the character Martha Scott in Baby Reindeer, is seeking at least $170 million (€155 million) in a lawsuit filed against Netflix.

Harvey has accused the streaming platform of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence, and violations of her right of publicity in the lawsuit filed at the Californian federal court.

The case follows her claim that she is the inspiration behind the character of Martha Scott, who stalks Richard Gadd's character Donny Dunn.

Baby Reindeer is said to be based on Gadd’s real life experiences, as well as the first episode of Baby Reindeer stating “This is a true story.”

“The lies that Defendants told about Harvey to over 50 million people worldwide include that Harvey is a twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison, and that Harvey sexually assaulted Gadd,” the lawsuit says.

“Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money.”

The lawsuit continues, “As a result of Defendants’ lies, malfeasance and utterly reckless misconduct, Harvey’s life had been ruined. Simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed her reputation, her character and her life.”

The court documents allege Netflix "did literally nothing" to confirm that the story represented was true, stating that "Harvey has never been convicted of any crime and has never been to prison".

In a statement, a Netflix rep said: “We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.”

Shortly after the show came out, Harvey made an appearance on Piers Morgan’s YouTube show, where she said she was considering taking legal action against both Gadd and Netflix.

The lawsuit seeks actual damages and compensatory damages at $50 million (€45 million) each; punitive damages at $20 million (€18 million); as well as "all profits" from Baby Reindeer at $50 million (€45 million).

Reps for Gadd have not responded to requests for comment, and Gadd is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.