Defamation Lawsuit Filed Over FX’s ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’
Written by SOURCE on March 20, 2019
On Tuesday an anonymous defamation lawsuit was filed against Netflix, FX, and the author who wrote the book that the nine-episode TV series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story was based on. The Blast reports that the person who filed this suit listed the names of Maureen Orth (who wrote the book Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History), and Tom Rob Smith (who penned every episode of the show).
The series is not specifically mentioned, but it’s easy to surmise since it’s the only connection that Smith and Orth have, and it’s currently streaming on Netflix after it’s original January-March 2018 run on FX.
The plaintiff, who is listed in court documents as “J. Roe,” says that they sued Orth back in 2000 for defamation and/or invasion of privacy. Roe further says that they agreed on a settlement that remains confidential, but that Orth broke this agreement with the series.
Roe states that those named in the suit defamed them, in part, by “including a false implication that Plaintiff is a chronic abuser of alcohol who consumes alcohol throughout the day.” Roe states that they reached out to FX to get them to cease and desist, but that the cable channel refused. Roe goes on to claim that Orth “has personal knowledge that the defamatory matter was false, because she fabricated it herself.”
The Assassination of Gianni Versace went on to be nominated and win multiple Primetime Emmys.
Roe is seeking unspecified damages.
