Rachel Williams Sued Netflix for Portrayal and Autobiographical Details Used in Series ‘Inventing Anna’
According to sources, former Vanity Fair employee Rachel DeLoache Williams who is now suing Netflix for her portrayal in the mini-series “Inventing Anna”. The film was released earlier this year, a true story based on the biography of Anna Delvey (Sorokin) who posed as an elite German Heiress and hustled millions of dollars from peers. Williams in particular was scammed out of $60,000 by Anna and it was revealed she is the one who turned Anna in to authorities.
Williams claims they made her look “horrible” and is furious her real name was used. Court documents say she accuses Netflix of making a “deliberate decision for dramatic purposes” to show her doing or saying things that she says portray her “as a greedy, snobbish, disloyal, dishonest, cowardly, manipulative and opportunistic person.” The suit also contends that she is depicted in the show as accepting expensive gifts, clothes and jewelry.
The lead attorney on Williams case, Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, told The Washington Post that the show tried to make “Rachel appear like a horrible person” and used real biographical details.
“Her reputation has been devastated. … The abuse she received has been truly awful,” he said. “This lawsuit seeks to vindicate her reputation and to remind creatives that they cannot create hate figures and give them real people’s names.”