NEW YORK CITY, NY - APRIL 17: Linda Fairstein attends Authors In Kind Literary Luncheon Benefiting GOD'S LOVE WE DELIVER at The Plaza Hotel on April 17, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by A SCOTT/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Netflix has reached an agreement with a former prosecutor involved in the exonerated case against the Central Park Five teens. Linda Fairstein sued the streaming platform, series director Ava DuVernay, and writer Attica Locke over the portrayal of her character in the limited series, ‘When They See Us.’
According to the Associated Press, Linda Fairstein first filed four years ago, and the case’s trial was supposed to start later this month. However, on Tuesday (June 4), the two main parties in the suit—Linda and Netflix—announced the settlement. In a statement, she claimed that the decision to settle was “not an easy one.” Apparently, she was confident that she had a “compelling” case for the jury.
Though Netflix will be cutting a check as part of the settlement, the money won’t be going to Linda’s pockets! Instead, the streaming giant will donate $1 million to the Innocence Project, a nonprofit dedicated to exonerating people who have been wrongly convicted.
Additionally, the Netflix mini-series will also have a new disclaimer on it that reads:
“While the motion picture is inspired by actual events and persons, certain characters, incidents, locations, dialogue, and names are fictionalized for the purposes of dramatization.”
Both resolutions seem to be enough for Linda. Her statement emphasized that the case was never about money but her reputation.
“This is what this case was all about – not about ‘winning’ or about any financial restitution, but about my reputation and that of my colleagues,” Fairstein claimed. “It was about setting the historical record straight that the villainous caricature invented by the defendants and portrayed on screen was not me.”
The former prosecutor had argued that the 2019 four-part series ‘When They See Us’ defamed her by portraying her as a “racist, unethical villain” and attributed actions, responsibilities, and viewpoints that were not hers.
For context, Linda Fairstein was the top Manhattan sex crimes prosecutor in 1989, per AP. That same year, five Black and Latino teenagers —Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana Jr., and Korey Wise —were charged with sexually assaulting a jogger in Central Park. Linda didn’t try the case in court. However, she observed their interrogation.
Despite the settlement, Ava DuVernay is keeping her foot on Linda’s neck in the public eye. She still believes Fairstein has some blame for five boys spending between five to 13 years in prison.
“As the head of the Manhattan Sex Crimes unit, Linda Fairstein was in the precinct for over 35 hours straight while the boys were interrogated as adults, often without parents present,” Ava wrote. Adding, “I hope that one day Linda Fairstein can come to terms with the part she played in this miscarriage of justice and finally accept responsibility.”
See Ava’s full statement on the lawsuit settlement below.
In 2002, the court overturned all five convictions. Serial rapist Matias Reyes confessed to the assault, and his DNA confirmed his involvement. The five men are now known as the Exonerated Five.
Associated Press staff contributed to this report.
