Tyra Banks Shows Edited Footage in Netflix Defamation Fight — SkimNews
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- Tyra Banks, represented by Clare Locke lawyers, opposed Netflix's anti-SLAPP motion Tuesday with video evidence alleging the 'Reality Check' docuseries used 'selective deletion, rearrangement, and other editing techniques' to distort her responses.
- Banks' filing cites the example of her on-camera nod of acknowledgment regarding contestant Shandi Sullivan's sexual assault being cut out, leaving her appearing unable to recall or respond to the assault on her own show.
- The opposition also details a 2004 conversation with Sullivan about infidelity in which Sullivan's initial question was deleted and reordered, making it appear Banks instigated the cheating discussion when Sullivan had actually raised the subject.
- Banks is suing Netflix, 89 Blocks Holdings, EverWonder Studio, Netflix Music, and directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan for false light, defamation by implication, breach of contract, and false endorsement.
- Banks' initial complaint alleges the docuseries' February debut caused 'loss of future business opportunities, loss of business income,' 'severe reputational harm' and 'significant mental anguish.'
- Netflix, represented by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, will have its dismissal motion heard in Los Angeles court on October 30; a Netflix spokesperson reiterated that the directors are 'respected documentarians' who 'fairly presented her perspective.'
Why it matters: The October 30 hearing in LA Superior Court will test whether a documentary filmmaker's editorial choices amount to actionable defamation, with Banks alleging the cuts crossed from journalism into 'willful misconduct' that inflicted reputational and financial harm—setting a precedent for how aggressively docu-editing can distort a subject's on-camera statements.
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