Netflix beats defamation suit over Making a Murderer
The defamation lawsuit filed by a retired police officer, Andrew Colborn, who claimed that the Netflix docuseries 'Making a Murderer' falsely accused him of fabricating evidence was dismissed by a federal court.
Judge Brett Ludwig issued a summary judgment decision on Friday, concluding that plaintiff Andrew Colborn had not proven that Netflix or the filmmakers had behaved with "actual malice" in creating their portrayal of him.
The documentary series, which premiered in December 2015, explored the defense theory that Steven Avery had been falsely accused of murder by police. Avery is still pursuing several challenges despite the fact that he was found guilty and given a life sentence.
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Colborn launched a lawsuit in 2018, alleging that the series had "worldwide ridicule" toward him. According to the lawsuit, 'Making a Murderer' misrepresented Colborn as a dishonest cop who planted evidence by changing testimony, distorting the facts, and omitting crucial details.
Colborn is well-known because he worked as a police detective. He had to demonstrate that the producers either knew or carelessly disregarded the possibility that what they were saying about him was false.
"The First Amendment does not guarantee a public figure like Colborn the role of protagonist in popular discourse — in fact, it protects the media's ability to cast him in a much less flattering light," the judge said.
