Netflix might have to pay up due to a new defamation lawsuit filed against the streaming platform over the hit series Inventing Anna. Former Vanity Fair staffer Rachel Williams, who knew Anna Sorokin, the real con artist the series is based on, was depicted in the series by Katie Lowes (Scandal). Williams has been quite vocal about her disapproval of the Netflix series, arguing that the way she was imagined in Inventing Anna had been a “dangerous” distortion of the truth.
Now, per THR, it’s been reported that Williams has taken things a bit further by formally filing a lawsuit against Netflix. She says that her portrayal has defamed her by depicting her as someone who was happy to accept pricy gifts from Anna but was just as quick to sell her out to the authorities once she discovered the truth. Williams’ complaint argues that the creative team for Inventing Anna had deliberately stretched the truth without any regard to how it would affect her life once the series arrived. From the complaint:
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
According to Williams, it’s incorrect to imply through the series that Anna Sorokin had completely supported her financially. Williams says this makes her appear to be a freeloader which isn’t fair as she had sometimes taken or split the bill. Meanwhile, Williams also takes exception to the series implying that she abruptly abandoned Sorokin when she learned the truth, claiming she had left when she did due to a prior engagement.
Rachel Williams Says Netflix Knew They Were Defaming Her
According to Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, an attorney representing Williams, the reason for the lawsuit primarily stems from the intent that Netflix allegedly had with defaming her. Rufus-Isaacs has pointed to various interviews to support this argument, such as quotes from creator Shonda Rhimes about how the plan was to “intentionally be fictionalizing moments versus just accidentally be fictionalizing them.” In another interview, Rhimes said that there had been stuff that “needed to be invented to make the story really sing.”
“[The Rachel character is] a people pleaser," says Rachel actor Katie Lowes in another interview. “She’s young, naïve, and had a privileged life. I don’t think this is necessarily true of Rachel Williams in real life; I think this is true of the character Shonda wrote and what Shonda needed the character to be for the show.”
After the lawsuit was filed, Williams has since told THR, “Netflix purposely used my real name, and real aspects of my life, to create a totally false and defamatory characterization of me. The truth matters and portraying real people requires real responsibility. I am filing this lawsuit to hold Netflix accountable for its deliberate recklessness.”
“The reason why we have had to file this lawsuit is because Netflix used Rachel’s real name and biographical details, and made her out to be a horrible person, which she is not,” Rufus-Isaacs added. “The devastating damage to her reputation could have been avoided if only Netflix had used a fictitious name and different details. Why didn’t they do this for her, when they did for so many other characters in the series? Perhaps the reason was that she had chosen to play for the other team, i.e., HBO.”
Inventing Anna is streaming on Netflix; the series is presented with a disclaimer that reads, “This story is completely true. Except for the parts that are totally made up.”
