Nick Ut's Defamation Trial Against Netflix Over 'Napalm Girl' Credit Advances

A comprehensive legal filing has been submitted by Nick Ut's attorneys to a French court, addressing a criminal defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the VII Foundation. This case arises from assertions made in the documentary 'The Stringer' that Nguyen Thanh Nghe, rather than Ut, captured the famous 'Napalm Girl' photograph. Among the key witnesses is Phan Thi Kim Phuc, the photo's subject, who labeled the film an "outrageous and false attack on Nick Ut." David Burnett, a photographer who was in Trang Bang on June 8, 1972, expressed skepticism about Nghe's ability to have taken the photo. Testimony from Tu Pease, an AP office secretary, indicated she witnessed Ut giving the film to darkroom technician Jackson Ishizaki. The filings emphasize Carl Robinson, the photo editor who allegedly changed the credit at Faas's request, suggesting Robinson's resentment over the photo's significance and the Vietnam War's aftermath, as referenced in his 2019 book 'The Bite of the Lotus.' Notably, Nghe lacks any other Vietnam War images or negatives to support his claims. Under French defamation law, defendants must substantiate their allegations. The trial is anticipated to commence next year.