Model and television personality Tyra Banks is suing Netflix over a documentary series about her show ‘America’s Next Top Model’. Banks claims the show was edited to imply she covered up a sexual assault on her show.

Background of the Lawsuit

The lawsuit, filed on June 13, alleges that Netflix and the show’s producers deliberately edited a 3.5-hour interview with Banks down to 16 minutes to create a false narrative. The narrative, according to the lawsuit, implies that Banks knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted on her show and then exploited the contestant’s trauma for ratings.

The lawsuit highlights one example of the producers’ manipulation, involving former contestant Shandi Sullivan. According to the lawsuit, Sullivan was shown describing an event as an assault, which Banks had never heard before and was not told about during her interview. The episode then shows Banks glancing upward and saying ‘um’ before the screen cuts to black, implying that Banks cannot remember the story of the woman who was assaulted on her show.

However, the lawsuit claims that this implication is false. Banks’ lawyers claim that she remembers Sullivan well and also remembers the encounter in Milan as a matter of regret over infidelity, not as a sexual assault. The lawsuit also claims that producers deprived viewers of the truth by withholding information from Banks and not providing her with an opportunity to respond.

Request for Damages

Banks is requesting a jury trial and is asking for an ‘appropriate’ amount of punitive damages. The lawsuit alleges false light, defamation by implication, breach of contract, and false endorsement.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.