Update 08/10/2021 1:10pm:

Previously, Central Park 5 prosecutor Linda Fairstein filed a defamation lawsuit over her portrayal in ‘When They See Us.’ Netflix tried to make the move so the case could be tossed, but a judge has denied their motion.

New legal documents that surfaced noted a federal judge in Manhattan ruled that Fairstein’s defamation suit plausibly alleged defamation in 5 scenes of the Ava Duvernay-directed series that focuses on the Central Park 5. Reports noted the judge ruled various scenes depicting Linda as racist, withholding DNA evidence from the defense, and coercing confessions couldn’t be thrown out at this point in litigation and could prove to be defamatory.

Netflix initially tried to argue that the suit by Fairstein was “frivolous” and that the series was protected by the First Amendment. Some of the claims by Fairstein were thrown out, but the judge said the case could move forward on claims related to more impactful scenes in the series.

source: TMZ

Original 06/06/2019 9:48am:

As the outrage grows behind the Central Park Five case depicted in Ava DuVernay's explosive Netflix docuseries "When They See Us," most of the heat has come down on former prosecutor Linda Fairstein, who has since stepped down from prominent positions she held at various non-profit organizations.

“I do not want to become a lightning rod to inflict damage on this organization because of those now attacking my record of fighting for social justice for more than 45 years,” Fairstein told the New York Post in regards to her previous seat on the board at Safe Horizon, adding that she was "sorry that the staff declined to meet with me to learn the truths behind the inflammatory and false narrative."

Sure enough, Fairstein isn't stepping down without going out swinging, as she reportedly told The Daily Beast that the Netflix series is a "basket of lies," further describing it as “a totally and completely untrue picture of events and my participation,” including “putting words in my mouth that I never said in Oliver Stone fashion.” 

From there, Fairstein took aim at DuVernay directly as she accused her of orchestrating a public campaign against her, adding that "she's behind it, her lies are behind it all."

Source: esquire.com