Man sues Netflix as he appears in a documentary which falsely implies that he was involved in a murder

Netflix is facing legal action after a man from Kentucky claimed that the company used his photo without his consent in a documentary that falsely implied he was involved in a murder. Taylor Hazlewood is suing the streaming service for defamation and misappropriation of likeness or right of publicity.

He appears in the true crime documentary The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, which is about Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, a man who rose to fame in 2013 for bludgeoning an attacker with a hatchet before being convicted for the murder of an attorney in an unrelated incident.

In the documentary, a photo of Hazlewood is shown along with audio that calls him a ‘stone-cold killer.’ Hazlewood claims that his images were taken without his knowledge from his Instagram, and that he has no connection to any aspect of the film.

Hazlewood is seeking over $1 million in damages, claiming that he has suffered reputational harm, stress, and anxiety as a result of the unauthorized use of his photo. He also argues that the use of his photo constitutes a false light invasion of privacy, and accuses Netflix of improperly profiting from his image.

In his complaint, Hazlewood states that the use of his photo was not incidental, but instead was a result of Netflix’s employees negligently searching for images of people holding hatchets to support their narrative.

Hazlewood’s friends and family alerted him to the use of his photo in the documentary, which he initially did not think much of since he had an association with McGillvary. However, he claims that the use of his photo has caused him constant fear of losing future employment or relationships due to people believing he is dangerous or untrustworthy.

The narrator of the documentary describes the murder of McGillvary’s victim as ‘horrific and senseless’ and asks if the attacker is a ‘guardian angel or a stone-cold killer’ after showing Hazlewood’s photo of him posing with a hatchet.

The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker was released in 2023 and features McGillvary’s rise to viral stardom, as well as his subsequent conviction for murder.

Hazlewood’s case against Netflix highlights the importance of obtaining consent before using an individual’s image or likeness, particularly in sensitive or controversial contexts.