‘Afflicted’ Subjects Drop Defamation Lawsuit Against Netflix; Alleged That Docuseries Painted Them As “Crazy Hypochondriacs” – Update

deadline.com:

UPDATED, 3:27 PM: A lawsuit filed against Netflix by subjects of its 2018 docuseries Afflicted has been dropped after nearly four years.

The plaintiffs’ attorney filed court papers Tuesday with Judge Armen Tamzarian asking that the case be dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.

The court papers do not state why the case was not being pursued further or whether a settlement was reached. Claiming defamation, fraud and invasion of privacy, the suit filed in August 2019 alleged that the plaintiffs were duped by the streamer and other defendants into participating in “a salacious reality television program that questioned the existence of their chronic illnesses and portrayed them as lazy, crazy hypochondriacs and/or malingerers.” The suit also lists Doc Shop Productions, series creator Dan Partland and other producers as defendants. PREVIOUSLY, August 2019: Netflix is being sued for defamation, fraud and invasion of privacy by subjects of its 2018 unscripted series Afflicted about people with chronic illnesses.

The 50-page complaint (read it here) was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court by defendants including Jamison Hill, Pilar Olave, Jill Edelstein and Bekah Dinnerstein.