A legal tussle between a Kentucky man and the streaming powerhouse, Netflix, has seen an unexpected development. The complainant, who has accused Netflix of wrongfully using his image in a true-crime documentary, “The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker”, has requested that the Texas judge presiding over the case exclude the actual hatchet-wielding individual, a convicted murderer, from his lawsuit.
The plaintiff argues that the accused, despite his actions providing source material for the documentary, has no relevance to his litigation against Netflix. The streaming giant, it is alleged, has infringed on his likeness without prior consent, a claim that he insists remains independent of the actions or participation of the actual felon depicted in the documentary.
A final ruling on the matter is awaited, and it remains to be seen whether the court will entertain his request and proceed with the lawsuit excluding the convicted murderer, or rule otherwise. A detailed account of the ongoing lawsuit can be found at Law360.