A retired Wisconsin detective who investigated the Teresa Halbach murder is suing Netflix and the filmmakers behind "Making a Murderer" for defamation and negligence.
Andrew Colborn, who retired from the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office earlier this year, says the documentary blames him for planting evidence to get Steven Avery's conviction.
The lawsuit filed in Manitowoc County Court on Monday claims the way the series is edited "falsely led viewers to the inescapable conclusion that (Colborn) and others planted evidence to frame Avery for Halbach's murder," WBAY reports.
"Defendants omitted, distorted, and falsified material and significant facts in an effort to portray (Colborn) as a corrupt police officer who planted evidence to frame an innocent man. Defendants did so with actual malice and in order to make the film more profitable and more successful in the eyes of their peers..." the lawsuit states.
An exhibit attached to the lawsuit is a transcript of Colborn's testimony, showing his entire examination by the district attorney was omitted in the documentary, and portions of his testimony under cross-examination were edited or omitted.
The lawsuit seeks a judgment against the filmmakers, Netflix and other individuals involved in the documentary and also demands they make an honest clarification "to clear his good name." It doesn't seek a specific dollar amount but does demand a jury trial.
