Linda Fairstein Is Suing Ava DuVernay Over Her Portrayal In Netflix Series

Source: Patrick McMullan / Getty

As if there wasn’t enough fawkery afoot in the world, Linda Fairstein, the prosecutor who helped convict the now exonerated Central Park 5, has filed suit against Netflix, director Ava DuVernay and writer Attica Locke for defamation over her portrayal in the highly acclaimed limited series, “When They See Us.”

According to TMZ reports Fairstein filed the federal suit Wednesday claiming she sent DuVernay a warning before the series was released because she was concerned she would be portrayed in a false and defamatory manner. Fairstein said DuVernay’s response at the time was that she had no right to object before seeing the series.

After the series was released in June 2019, Fairstein says every episode in which she appears portrayed her as a “racist, unethical villain who is determined to jail innocent children of color at any cost.”

In her lawsuit, Fairstein objects to nearly every single aspect of the case as it’s portrayed in the series and denies 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 says that her career as a crime author was destroyed following the release of the “When They See Us,” series and that her publisher and agents dropped her, she was forced to resign from the boards of several non-profit organizations and she lost speaking appearances.

Hey… Sounds like KARMA to us, but what do we know?

Fairstein is suing Netflix, DuVernay and her co-writer, Attica Locke, for defamation. She’s asking for damages for her losses, a public apology, removal of the scenes she calls false, and a disclaimer added that labels the series as a dramatization and not a true story.

A rep for Netflix told 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.”

You know what they always say. A hit dog will holler. Linda’s mad, big mad… Karma has come around in a big way and since she won’t take responsibility for the part she played in jailing five innocent boys, she’s doing what any entitled white woman with means would, she’s suing the black woman who shined a light on her past.

We’re pretty sure Ava and Netflix got plenty of legal advice when they were making “When They See Us.” It would be a shame if Fairstein ends up more embarrassed by her own lawsuit. Then again, no it wouldn’t. SMH.