Netflix has been compelled to delete a sex scene from a popular crime series about a notorious drug smuggler after his complaint.
Laureano Oubiña, from Galicia in northwest Spain, sued the streaming giant over his and his wife’s depiction in the show ‘Cocaine Coast’.
Oubiña, aged 78, who has a history of convictions for drug trafficking and money laundering, sought €1.5 million in compensation for the ‘moral damage’ inflicted by the series.
Despite the court ruling that the portrayal of Oubiña was not ‘very different’ from reality, it found that a sex scene between him and his wife in the first episode was unjustified.
Consequently, the court ordered Netflix to excise the scene, which involved a police raid interrupting an intimate moment between the couple, and to pay Oubiña €15,000 for breaching his privacy, according to The Times.
The judge acknowledged the ‘undeniable creative freedom of the creators and producers of the series’ but stated that it did not justify including the scene.
They further remarked that the scene, which depicted the couple from behind, was unnecessary and served only to “hook the viewer into the plot”.
Initially, Oubiña had tried to sue Netflix for €1.5 million for creating the series, arguing it portrayed him as a violent cocaine trafficker. The series, known as *Fariña* in Spanish, chronicles the rise of drug clans in Galicia during the 1980s and 1990s, with actor Carlos Blanco playing Oubiña.
Oubiña’s lawyer, Jorge Paladino, claimed, “The life of Mr. Laureano Oubiña has worsened considerably since the broadcast of this series because he is portrayed as a person capable of taking the life of another, [a] violent, sexist, a cocaine trafficker, impotent, vicious, unfaithful, a bad father, a bad husband, a brute, foolish, vengeful, an abuser of women, ignorant and a mafioso.”
However, the court dismissed the other complaints, finding the show was ‘inspired by reality’ and that Oubiña’s portrayal was not ‘very different’ from the image his actions had established.
Netflix is no stranger to such legal challenges, currently facing several other complaints related to its shows.
Recently, it was revealed that the only surviving son of convicted murderer and fraudster Alex Murdaugh is planning to sue Netflix and Warner Brothers over documentaries connecting him to his former classmate’s murder.
Buster Murdaugh, 30, known for his distinctive red hair inherited from his father Alex, 55, is suing various media outlets and two major studios for damaging his reputation.
He claimed the films and stories about the case have linked him to the killing of 19-year-old Stephen Smith.
Just weeks earlier, Fiona Harvey, who asserts she inspired the Netflix stalking drama ‘Baby Reindeer’, announced she is suing the streaming platform for $170 million.
Harvey denies ever being imprisoned or going to court, as portrayed in the show, and alleges Netflix allowed viewers to track her down in real life, leading to an influx of abuse.
In the series, Martha, the lead character based on Harvey, is depicted as a relentless stalker harassing the protagonist Donny, played by Richard Gadd.
Harvey maintained that she never stalked Gadd, did not sexually assault him, nor was she ever convicted of stalking, and claims Netflix misled viewers into believing fictional elements were factual.
As a result, she is suing for defamation, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violations of the right of publicity, among other charges, demanding over $50 million in damages.
In another similar case, the family of Griselda Blanco is also seeking to sue Netflix over the alleged ‘unauthorized use of their family’s image and likeness’ in a series about the female drug kingpin.
Blanco’s adult children, representing her estate, have launched a lawsuit against Netflix and Sofia Vergara, who portrays Griselda in the series of the same name.
