The woman whose life became the subject of one of the most sensational adoption cases in recent memory is now fighting back against Hollywood. Natalia Grace has filed a defamation lawsuit against Disney and Hulu over the series Good American Family, alleging the show falsely portrayed her as “deceptive, dangerous, manipulative, dishonest, not truly a child, and responsible for acts of abuse, violence, or attempted violence”. The lawsuit, filed on March 20, 2026, without legal representation, marks Grace’s most aggressive move yet to reclaim her own narrative.
The Natalia Grace lawsuit argues that Good American Family, which stars Ellen Pompeo as Kristine Barnett, Grace’s former adoptive mother, crossed the line from dramatization into defamation. While each episode includes a disclaimer stating the show “reflects and dramatizes multiple conflicting points of view,” Grace contends this warning is insufficient. The suit claims the disclaimer does not “meaningfully identify” which elements were fictionalized, leaving viewers unable to distinguish fact from fabrication.
Grace takes particular issue with the series’ structure. The first half of the limited series presents Kristine Barnett’s perspective, painting Grace as a dangerous adult masquerading as a child, while the second half shifts to Grace’s account of childhood abuse and abandonment. The lawsuit alleges this format was “intentional or reckless,” designed to cement a negative impression of Grace before offering any counter-narrative.
The case that inspired the series is complex and tragic. Grace was born in Ukraine in 2003 with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a form of dwarfism. She was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett in 2010, but their relationship quickly deteriorated. In 2012, the Barnetts successfully petitioned a court to change Grace’s legal birth year from 2003 to 1989, claiming she was actually an adult pretending to be a child.
The Barnetts then moved Grace into an apartment in Indiana and relocated to Canada with their biological sons. Both were later charged with child neglect. Michael Barnett was acquitted in 2022; charges against Kristine were dismissed in 2023. Medical analysis later confirmed Grace was indeed a child at the time of her adoption, and her legal birth year was restored to 2003.
The lawsuit alleges the series has caused “substantial reputational injury,” with Grace enduring public ridicule including being called a “scammer, psycho [and] sociopath”. The suit claims the show led viewers to believe she committed acts such as “attempted murder-type conduct, violence towards others, dangerous conduct, manipulative conduct and other serious harmful acts”, allegations Grace vehemently denies.
Court documents argue some of the violent acts depicted or suggested were “physically impossible” given Grace’s age and size at the time . The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from Disney and Hulu for defamation, libel by implication, false light, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Neither Disney nor Hulu has publicly commented on the lawsuit. The series Good American Family premiered on Hulu in March 2025, with Ellen Pompeo serving as both star and executive producer. Actress Imogen Faith Reid, who played Grace in the series, previously told Us Weekly that she “fought for Grace’s voice to be heard” and wanted the role to bring “justice and empowerment” to Grace’s story.
The series draws from multiple sources, including the Investigation Discovery documentary The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, which featured extensive interviews with Grace herself.
The Natalia Grace lawsuit arrives at a transitional moment in her life. She has reportedly separated from her third adoptive family, the Manses, and now lives with the DePaul family in upstate New York, working toward her GED and pursuing independence . She has expressed interest in starting a photography business.
Grace also faces significant health challenges. She suffers from diastrophic dysplasia and requires spinal surgery costing in excess of $500,000 to prevent the risk of paralysis. A GoFundMe campaign previously raised funds for her medical needs.
For Natalia Grace, the lawsuit against Disney represents more than a legal battle, it’s an attempt to reclaim her story from the sensationalized narratives that have defined her life since childhood. Whether a court will agree that Good American Family defamed her remains to be seen. But the message behind the lawsuit is clear: after years of being portrayed as either a villain or a victim, Grace is demanding the right to tell her own story, on her own terms.
