Natalia Grace sues Disney and Hulu over defamatory Good American Family portrayal

From adoptive family turmoil to a legal battle against media giants, Natalia Grace fights to reclaim her story. Her life—and health—hang in the balance.

, and ASMedia

2026 March 21 . 5:06 AM

1 min read

The image shows an old book with a cartoon of a woman and a child on the cover. The woman is... — The image shows an old book with a cartoon of a woman and a child on the cover. The woman is wearing a white dress and has her hair tied up in a bun. The child is standing beside her, wearing a blue shirt and has a mischievous expression on their face. The background of the cartoon is a bright yellow, and the title of the book is written in bold black letters.

Natalia Grace sues Disney and Hulu over defamatory Good American Family portrayal

Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian woman with dwarfism, is taking legal action against Disney and Hulu. She claims their series The Good American Family painted her as deceptive and dangerous. The lawsuit alleges defamation and emotional harm, stemming from how the show framed her story.

Grace, who has Diastrophic Dysplasia, requires urgent spinal surgery to avoid paralysis. She now lives independently after leaving her third adoptive family in January 2024.

Grace was first adopted in 2010 by Kristine and Michael Barnett. The couple later accused her of lying about her age, even petitioning to change her birth year from 2003 to 1989. They claimed she was an adult when they took her in. After moving to Canada, the Barnetts faced neglect charges for allegedly abandoning her in an apartment.

In June 2023, Grace found new adoptive parents—Bishop Antwon and Cynthia Mans—her third set of guardians. But by January 2024, she had moved out on her own. She is now crowdfunding for spinal surgery through GoFundMe, as her condition risks leaving her paralysed or incontinent.

Grace denies all accusations made against her in the Hulu series. She argues the show portrayed her as manipulative, violent, and responsible for abuse. While Disney and Hulu included a disclaimer, she believes it fails to clarify which parts are real and which are dramatised. According to her, this framing has caused lasting damage to her reputation.

Her lawsuit centres on the claim that producers either intentionally or carelessly shaped the series to highlight allegations against her. Only later did the show reveal details about her childhood abuse, which she says was buried under sensationalised claims.

Grace's legal case hinges on whether the series defamed her by omitting key context. The outcome could affect how her story is publicly perceived. Meanwhile, she continues to seek medical treatment while living independently, relying on public donations for her surgery costs.