Netflix seeks dismissal of Tyra Banks documentary defamation lawsuit
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Netflix has formally asked a court to dismiss Tyra Banks’ defamation lawsuit over its documentary series, arguing that her complaint concerns ordinary editorial judgement rather than defamatory falsehoods. The filing is the latest development in the dispute and matters because it tests the scope of documentary makers’ creative discretion when portraying public figures and contested events.
Banks sued Netflix and directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan in June, alleging the three-part “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” misleadingly edited her interview about former contestant Shandi Sullivan, who says she was sexually assaulted during the show’s second season. Netflix says Banks’ statement that she remembered Sullivan’s story was shown at the beginning of the next episode, while its lawyers also cite Banks’ waiver of creative control; the series was released in February and re-examined criticism of “America’s Next Top Model”, which ran for 24 seasons from 2003 to 2018.
- Netflix seeks dismissal of Tyra Banks’ defamation case.
- It says the dispute concerns editorial choices.
- Banks alleges her interview was deceptively edited.
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America’s Next Top Model was a US television competition in which aspiring models took part in challenges and faced elimination each week. It was created and presented for much of its run by Tyra Banks, a model and television personality, and became a major reality TV programme between 2003 and 2018.
In recent years, former contestants and viewers have raised questions about some of the show’s treatment of participants, including its handling of personal experiences and the pressures of reality television. The Netflix documentary examines that history and includes accounts from people connected to the programme, including former contestant Shandi Sullivan.
Defamation cases generally concern whether published material gave a false and damaging impression of someone. The dispute also raises a wider question about how much freedom documentary producers have to edit interviews and shape a story, particularly where contributors have agreed to take part.
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Originally published by Variety as “Netflix Pushes Back on Tyra Banks ‘Reality Check’ Defamation Suit”.