
Former Vanity Fair employee Rachel Williams is reportedly suing Netflix for defamation over her portrayal in Inventing Anna.
The series is based on the article written by journalist Jessica Pressler titled ‘Maybe She Had So Much Money She Just Lost Track of It’, which was published in New York Magazine in 2018.
The feature delved into the cons Anna Sorokin, who posed as a wealthy heiress and fooled banks, hotels, and members of New York society’s elite to enjoy luxurious dinners and holidays without spending a penny, as well as being on the brink of securing a multi-million-dollar loan for her private members’ club and art foundation.
In reference to actress Kate Lowes’ depiction of Williams in the nine-parter, Netflix describe her character as ‘a natural-born follower whose blind worship of Anna almost destroys her job, her credit, and her life’.
According to new reports, the former photo editor filed the lawsuit on Monday August 29 and has branded her portrayal as ‘unethical, greedy, snobbish and disloyal.’
In documents obtained by Variety, Williams’ attorney claimed that since Inventing Anna’s release, Williams has been subjected to intense backlash online.


‘If you want to base a character on a real person, and you want to make them a baddie, don’t use their real name,’ Alexander Rufus-Isaacs said in a statement.
‘I wish creatives would understand that. If they want to make an unpleasant character, they can’t use a real person’s name unless everything they say is absolutely gospel.’
In the series, Ozark star Julia Garner takes on the role of Anna Delvey/Sorokin, who was jailed in 2017 for her financial crimes but released after four years in February 2021.

Sorokin grew up in Russia before moving to Germany at the age of seven, then jetted off to New York in 2013.
Following the news, Sorokin shared via Instagram stories saying that she would ‘gladly’ make herself ‘available to testify about the accuracy’ of Williams’ ‘depiction.
‘You know where to find me,’ she added.
Inventing Anna is available to stream on Netflix.