Linda Fairstein, the prosecutor who helped put the now-vindicated Central Park 5 in jail, is suing Netflix and director Ava DuVernay over her portrayal in When They See Us.
According to TMZ, Fairstein filed the federal suit earlier today, claiming she fired off a warning to DuVernay before her series was released. Fairstein says she was concerned she would be portrayed in a false and defamatory manner and claims her concerns fell on deaf ears because Ava’s only response was that she had no right to object before seeing the actual finished project.
Fairstein argues that once the series premiered in June of 2109, every episode that featured her character, played by Felicity Huffman, portrayed her to be a “racist, unethical villain who is determined to jail innocent children of color at any cost.”
TMZ, which obtained a copy of the lawsuit, details that Fairstein objected to nearly every single aspect of the case … as it’s shown in the series.
Fairstein denied taking part in any of the following actions that were portrayed in the series including; unlawfully interrogating unaccompanied minors, calling for a roundup of “young black” thugs, manipulating the timeline to pin the jogger’s rape on the Central Park 5, referring to people of color as animals, directing NYPD detectives to coerce confessions, and suppressing DNA evidence.
Fairstein, who went on to become a successful crime author, claims that her career as an author was completely destroyed after the release of the series. She said her publisher and agents dropped her, she lost speaking engagements and appearances and was forced to resign from the boards of several non-profit organizations she worked with.
Fairstein’s lawsuit is going after Netflix, DuVernay and her co-writer Attica Locke for defamation and undisclosed damages. She also wants a public apology, removal of the scenes she deems false, and a disclaimer added that labels the series as a dramatization and NOT based on a true story.
A rep for Netflix has since responded to the suit, telling TMZ, “Linda Fairstein’s frivolous lawsuit is without merit. We intend to vigorously defend When They See Us and Ava DuVernay and Attica Locke, the incredible team behind the series.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3F9n_smGWY
