Tyra Banks files lawsuit against Netflix over alleged IP violation
Tyra Banks filed a defamation claim against Netflix, directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy, and EverWonder Studio in a Los Angeles federal court on Saturday. The lawsuit alleges that the model, who created and hosted “America’s Next Top Model,” was interviewed for 3½ hours, but her remarks were edited to 16 minutes and presented in a misleading way. Banks claims the edits omitted her accountability regarding controversial episodes of the show and portrayed her as evasive about a contestant’s alleged sexual assault.
Banks seeks monetary damages and an injunction preventing her image from appearing in the docuseries soundtrack released by Netflix. She also requested review of the full interview footage in March, a request denied by Netflix and EverWonder according to the complaint. The lawsuit contends that the documentary’s editors were also former “America’s Next Top Model” judges who consulted on the series, and that Banks was not given a chance to fact‑check or respond to accusations before the series aired on February 16.
The claim states that the docuseries used selective editing and “surgical manipulation” to create a false narrative that Banks ignored or was unaware of the assault. Banks’ attorneys note that she had no opportunity to discuss the allegations with the filmmakers and was excluded from the editorial process.
Public reaction to the series has been negative toward Banks, including backlash against her Sydney‑based ice cream shop. The lawsuit positions itself as a formal response to the allegations, following earlier attempts to resolve the matter directly with the defendants.