Taylor Hazlewood alleges that Netflix repeatedly exploited his image in a true crime film about a killer with whom he has no affiliation. Despite the fact that the documentary is about Caleb “Kai” McGillvary, Hazlewood is seen posing with a hatchet in two images, according to the Daily Mail.
McGillvary rose to fame after telling a local news station in 2013 that he used a hatchet to strike a guy in the head in order to protect a woman from an assault. He was detained for the murder of a New Jersey attorney in California three months later. Despite entering a not guilty plea and asserting that he had acted in self-defense, McGillvary was finally found guilty of first-degree murder in 2019 and given a life sentence.
The respiratory therapist’s lawsuit claims his image was shown while the narrator asks if he’s a “stone-cold” killer. Netflix is accused of misappropriating his likeness in a ‘pure act of recklessness.’ Additionally, the streaming platform is accused of ruining Hazlewood’s reputation.
“Hazlewood is, of course, beyond angry that Netflix would implicate and connect him to such a salacious and infamous story and individual,”
According to the complaint, the image was shot in June 2019 when the plaintiff spotted a friend’s hatchet. Before receiving text messages from his friends about the documentary three years later, Hazelwood didn’t give the firearm or the Instagram post much thought. McGillvary is also suing Netflix for $3 million in a separate case that accused the streaming platform of exploiting his life story for money. – Steve Sijenyi
