Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker says he's suing Netflix for its 'bull****' documentary about him
Caleb McGillvary, who you might know better as the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker, says he is suing Netflix over the documentary they released about his story.
McGillvary, who also goes by the name Kai, first went viral in 2013 after he was featured in a US news report describing how he saved a woman from her attacker using a hatchet.
And the internet being what it is, it wasn't long before Kai's bizarre interview was forgotten about as the rest of the world moved on to other things, but it soon emerged that his story didn't end there.
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McGillvary was brought back into the spotlight this year as the focus of Netflix's true-crime documentary The Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker.
The doc captivated viewers as it followed Kai's rise to fame and the events that happened afterwards, including his imprisonment over the murder of a 73-year-old lawyer.
McGillvary told The Mirror that he was aware of the documentary before it was released but didn't agree to it.
He then claimed that the streaming service 'knowingly exercised a monopoly of power' to fix his participation in the film as $0.
He alleged that the documentary is 'filled with slander and lies', and claimed it is 'designed to strip' him of his 'heroic title for [Netflix's] own selfish gain'.
McGillvary called The Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker as a 'bulls**t smear piece' and said he was prepared to litigate the lawsuit by himself 'all the way to trial' if he fails to find a 'skilled lawyer' to take on his case.
He also claimed that copyright and defamation play a 'large part' in the lawsuit, adding: "It is important to remember that Netflix engaged in a pattern of fraud to obtain my copyrighted materials and information to make their movie with.
"In America, I did not lose my constitutional rights by being convicted. I still have property rights to my performances and videos, which were ripped off by Netflix. I still have a right to be free from false accusations."
McGillvary accused Netflix of trying to 'make a big deal about not being allowed to pay' him for his involvement, though he stressed there are differences between the laws in Britain, where Ofcom states that convicted or confessed criminals cannot receive payment for a programme contribution, and those in America.
The US do have 'Son of Sam' laws which prohibit convicted criminals profiting off work based on their crimes, however, its use has been inconsistent.
He has further claimed that the streaming service failed to go over 'the destroyed evidence, or what the crime scene photos revealed' in his case.
But even before seeing the film, McGillvary claims he knew he would take action, saying: "I already thought prior to seeing the movie, 'I’m going to sue this ruthlessly exploitive mega-corporation for ripping off my life story'."
UNILAD has reached out to Netflix for comment.
Emily Brown