‘Making A Murderer’ is facing a lawsuit from former Manitowoc County police sergeant Andrew Colborn, who is unhappy with how he was depicted in the documentary series.
On Monday, Colborn filed a lawsuit against both Netflix and the documentary makers, Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, claiming the way he is portrayed in ‘Making A Murderer’ is defamatory.
In the lawsuit, Colborn takes particular issue with the suggestion that he planted Teresa Halbach’s car key at Steven Avery’s home, which later contributed heavily to the guilty verdict.
As reported by The Wrap, the lawsuit states: “Neither plaintiff nor any other law enforcement officer planted evidence or in any other way attempted to frame Avery or Dassey for Halbach’s murder.
“Despite overwhelming evidence proving Avery and Dassey’s guilt and the utter absence of evidence supporting defendant’s accusations of police misconduct, defendants falsely led viewers to the inescapable conclusion that plaintiff and others planted evidence to frame Avery for Halbach’s murder.”
Netflix declined to comment on the matter when contacted by HuffPost UK.
‘Making A Murderer’ debuted on Netflix in December 2015, following the story of Steven Avery who, along with his nephew Brendan Dassey, was imprisoned in 2007 for the murder of Teresa Halbach.
The documentary explores the lead-up to his arrest and sentencing, and invites the viewer to question his guilt as well as the credentials of the police department in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.
After almost three years, a second series began streaming earlier this year, in which viewers met Kathleen Zellner, Avery’s new postconviction attorney, who has been working tirelessly to try and overturn his sentencing.
‘Part 2’ opened with a montage featuring a number of the documentary’s key figures reacting to its success, while each episode ends with a list of names of people who declined to take part, which includes Andrew Colborn.