'Making a Murderer': Judge dismisses defamation case against Netflix series by detective Andrew Colborn
MADISON, WISCONSIN: Former Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Detective Andrew Colborn had sued Netflix for defaming him in their documentary series ‘Making a Murderer.’ But his appeal was quashed by a US District Judge on Friday, March 10. A retired Wisconsin detective was portrayed in the 2015 documentary series, by filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, but the court concluded that there was no malice toward the officer.
The streaming giant Netflix aired the ‘Making a Murderer’ series in the 10-part series. It follows the story of Steven Avery, who was sent behind the bars for almost 22 years for sexual assault before DNA tests exonerated him. Though, the antagonist was released in 2003 but was booked again four years later this time along with his nephew, Brendan Dassey, in the 2005 murder and rape of photographer Teresa Halbach. Avery and Dassey were finally both sentenced to life in prison.
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Colborn filed the lawsuit in April 2019
Netflix’s docu-series aims to ask legit questions on whether Manitowoc County officials framed them. Colborn, who was part of an investigation in the Avery case, filed a lawsuit in April 2019 accusing that the documentary defamed him by misquoting his testimony — and further editing snippets of his testimony. It also adds that the series twisted reactions of others in court to make him appear nervous and uncertain back then.
'There was no malice'
Judge Ludwig observed that the edits retain the gist of his testimony, and Colborn failed to prove that the streaming service or the filmmakers acted with malice toward him, which is an important factor in any defamation-related case. In other words, it can be referred to as a situation in which someone ‘intentionally makes a defamatory statement even though he or she knows it's false or shows reckless disregard for its veracity,’ as per an ABC News report.
So far, George Burnett, the attorney for the retired detective, has not responded to the judgment.