In addition to Taylor Hazlewood, the hero of the documentary “Hitchhiker with the Ax”, Caleb McGilvary has decided to sue Netflix.
A 27-year-old pulmonologist from Kentucky, Taylor Hazlewood, is suing streaming service Netflix for using a photograph of the producers of the crime documentary The Ax Hitchhiker. The Washington Post and a host of other Western media claim that the man had nothing to do with the crimes and that his reputation was severely damaged. The doctor is demanding one million dollars in non-pecuniary damage.
The new show tells the story of Caleb “Kai” McGilvary, who within a year goes to the murderer convicted of viral sensation. According to Hazlewood, the tape shows her image. It is revealed when the narrator asks if Caleb is a “cold-blooded” killer. The lawsuit, filed in Dallas County court, alleges that Netflix abused his likeness through an act of “total recklessness.”
In the lawsuit taken by reporters, “Hazlewood is of course outraged that Netflix has associated him with such an obscene and embarrassing story and personality.”
McGilvary rose to fame after a viral interview in February 2013 in which he described how he saved a woman from a deadly attack. While hitchhiking in Fresno, California, pickup truck driver Jett McBride crashed his car into a community service worker and then attacked the victim and a woman who was trying to intervene.
McGillvary claimed that he took an ax out of his bag and hit McBride several times on the head to stop him. The driver was later found guilty of two assaults with a deadly weapon.
Describing his role in the incident, the hitchhiker started his interview with KMPH by saying, “Whatever you do, you deserve respect. Even if you make mistakes, you’re cute.”
He vividly showed the interviewer how McBride hit him on the head, describing the blows with the words: “Smash, smash, smash.”
The video went viral overnight and has been viewed more than 8 million times.
Canadian-born McGillvary soon appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! He talked about that incident on the road again. However, he was arrested three months later and charged with murdering New Jersey attorney Joseph Galfi. Caleb claimed that Joseph was acting in self-defense, saying that he drugged and raped her after he offered her a place to stay. During the trial, however, prosecutors argued that Joseph’s perspective had changed repeatedly and that Joseph’s injuries were too serious for self-defense.
McGillvary was convicted of first-degree murder in 2019 and sentenced to 57 years in prison.
Near the end of the Netflix documentary, a photo of Hazlewood with an ax appears, and the narrator says, “Is this a guardian angel or a cold-blooded killer?”
The lawsuit filed by Hazlewood alleges that the photo was taken in June 2019 after a friend saw his axe, which reminded him of his favorite childhood book, The Ax, written by Gary Paulsen. Taylor grabbed it and posed for a photo she later posted on her Instagram.
After the movie was released, everyone started calling the doctor and saying that his name was now associated with a ruthless killer.
According to Fresno Bee, McGillvary is suing Netflix for $3 million in a separate lawsuit accusing the documentary of “brutally using a hero’s life to make money.”
The streaming service has yet to comment on the incident.
Previously Focus He wrote that Netflix has it ready for its users this spring.
Source: Focus
Mary Moore is an accomplished author and journalist known for her engaging and informative writing on trending topics. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a keen interest in current events and a talent for finding the human angle in stories, Mary’s writing is always engaging, insightful and informative.