Updated
Updated · Deadline · Aug 15
Netflix Files 28-Page Anti-SLAPP Bid to Toss Tyra Banks Defamation Suit
Updated
Updated · Deadline · Aug 15

Netflix Files 28-Page Anti-SLAPP Bid to Toss Tyra Banks Defamation Suit

3 articles · Updated · Deadline · Aug 15

Summary

  • Netflix asked a Los Angeles court to throw out Tyra Banks’ June 13 defamation case through an anti-SLAPP motion, with a hearing targeted for Oct. 30.
  • The 28-page filing argues Banks’ claims attack protected editorial choices in Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model rather than actionable false statements.
  • Netflix said documentary makers control whom to interview, what footage to use and how to sequence competing accounts, and argued Banks had agreed those decisions belonged to the filmmakers.
  • Banks sued over her portrayal in the docuseries, alleging deceptive editing made her seem insensitive and appear to forget contestant Shandi Sullivan’s assault story.
  • The filing sharpens Netflix’s broader defense of the series and directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy, signaling a fight over documentary editing as protected speech.

Insights

Could Tyra Banks' own history of reality TV manipulation ultimately destroy her defamation case against Netflix?
Where does the line blur between standard documentary editing and intentional character assassination in television?