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Tyra Banks<\/a> has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the directors of \u201cReality Check: Inside America\u2019s Next Top Model\u201d claiming that she was manipulated and misrepresented in the series.<\/p>\n The three-part documentary, directed by married duo Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan<\/a>, revisited the reality show\u2019s rise and many controversies, including former contestant Shandi Sullivan discussing what she described as a blackout sexual encounter that took place during Cycle 2 of the series and was a major plot point because Sullivan was in a relationship. <\/p>\n Sullivan said in \u201cReality Check\u201d that she felt like producers should have stepped in considering she was heavily intoxicated, but instead they followed her into the bathroom and bedroom to record a sexual encounter with a male model. In a following scene, Banks lectures Sullivan about cheating and \u201ccarnal\u201d temptation. <\/p>\n \u201cTyra Banks participated in the Netflix documentary series about \u2018America\u2019s Next Top Model\u2019 because she believed viewers deserved a candid conversation about the show\u2019s legacy \u2014 its successes and its shortcomings,\u201d reads the lawsuit. \u201cThere are aspects of the show for which Ms. Banks takes accountability and she wanted ANTM viewers to hear that from her directly.\u201d <\/p>\n The lawsuit, filed on Saturday in the Central District of California, claims that the supermodel turned media personality participated in a 3\u00bd-hour interview, of which about 16 minutes was used. <\/p>\n \u201cThe producers used what could be stripped of context and reassembled to support a false and defamatory narrative unrelated to what she actually expressed,\u201d reads the suit. \u201cThe accountability Banks took ended up on the cutting room floor.\u201d <\/p>\n The suit alleges that producers used \u201cselective editing, deliberate omission and surgical manipulation of continuous footage\u201d to create a false narrative that Banks \u201cknowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted on her show, exploited that contestant\u2019s trauma for ratings, and then could not even remember it when asked.\u201d<\/p>\n Banks claims that she asked Netflix and the producers of the docuseries for access to the unedited footage of her 3\u00bd-hour interview, and proposed they work together to \u201ccorrect the record.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cHad they agreed, Ms. Banks could have made the truth public and this litigation would likely have been unnecessary,\u201d reads the suit. <\/p>\n According to the suit, Banks was pitched the docuseries as a \u201cdefinitive three-hour Netflix docuseries exploring America\u2019s Next Top Model as a groundbreaking popculture phenomenon.\u201d The pitch had a Netflix logo on its cover, and Banks had \u201clong trusted and admired Netflix.\u201d The streamer\u2019s involvement was the reason Banks claims she considered the project. <\/p>\n Banks claims the pitch included promises that the documentary would unpack the show\u2019s legacy \u201cnot as a takedown, but as a thoughtful in-depth reflection on its influence, evolution, and impact on fashion, television, and culture.\u201d<\/p>\n The suit claims Banks was prepared for a fair comeuppance, but ultimately the former supermodel felt hoodwinked. \u201cNothing suggested that the project would falsely accuse Ms. Banks of covering up a sexual assault, or being indifferent to what a contestant characterizes as a traumatic experience.\u201d<\/p>\n In February, directors for \u201cReality Check\u201d revealed that Banks wasn\u2019t invited<\/a> to participate in the docuseries until well after production began<\/p>\n \u201cIt was like, \u2018Hey, this can be a great addition, but definitely not a necessity,\u2019\u201d Sivan said. \u201cPeople talking trash about her is very easy to find. … But having her passion, bringing this program to life, is something that only she could tell.\u201d<\/p>\n