‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’: Why Netflix Wasn’t Required to Consult Victims’ Families
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has been in the public consciousness lately, thanks to Netflix shows like Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
The true crime series has been hugely popular. But some people criticize Netflix for allegedly using the victims’ and their families’ stories without their knowledge. Find out why the streaming giant did not consult the families before portraying the murders on the screen.
Netflix has been criticized for releasing the show
After Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was released in September 2022, it received backlash from some viewers and people who knew Dahmer’s victims.
According to The Guardian, Shirley Hughes, the mother of the late Tony Hughes, said, “I don’t see how they can do that. I don’t see how they can use our names and put stuff like that out there.”
Meanwhile Errol Lindsey’s sister, Rita Isbell, told Insider, “I was never contacted about the show. I feel like Netflix should’ve asked if we mind or how we felt about making it. They didn’t ask me anything. They just did it.”
Why Netflix was not required to consult the victims’ families
Some Dahmer — Monster viewers wonder whether Netflix should’ve been required to consult the families of Dahmer’s victims. However, legally, the streaming obligation was not required to do this.
According to Mashable, “There is no legal liability for Netflix as the story is considered of general public interest and the details of the case are already in the public domain.”
“The only obligation Netflix has to victims is to be accurate and factual and not to use anything about the victims that may be protected by privacy laws,” said Tre Lovell, an attorney at the Lovell Law Firm.
Lovell added, “This aside, the interest of the victims sometimes has to be put aside for the larger good of serving the audience, whether it be for entertainment, education, or controversy. Netflix is not in the business of counselling; it is in the business of entertainment. Without victims, malfeasance, murder, etc., there would be no shows.”
Netflix was recently hit with a defamation lawsuit
Netflix has not been sued because of Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. However, the streaming service has been sued by people portrayed on other shows.
For example, after Netflix released Inventing Anna in February 2022, one of Anna Delvey’s victims, Rachel DeLoache Williams, filed a lawsuit accusing Netflix of defamation. According to Williams, the streaming giant portrayed her as “greedy, snobbish, disloyal, dishonest, cowardly, manipulative, and opportunistic.”
Netflix has not responded to the lawsuit. But Inventing Anna creator Shonda Rhimes once told The Hollywood Reporter that the show had to “do some inventing” regarding the characters portrayed. However, Rhimes maintained that “we worked really hard” to ensure the women portrayed “felt like the three-dimensional women they were.”
