Where Michelle Hadley Is Now After Netflix’s A Toxic Love Story

In Netflix ’s new true-crime film A Toxic Love Story, Michelle Hadley reveals a full-circle moment: she delivered her daughter on the very day her ex-fiancé Ian Diaz was convicted. Years after being jailed for crimes she didn’t commit, the documentary catches up with Hadley as she maps out what life looks like after surviving a manufactured nightmare.

“Raising this beautiful little girl is my fairy tale ending,” she says in the film. “I think it is happily ever after. I’m not a princess, but I get to be the hero in my own story.”

Hadley, now 39, says she returned to Chapman University to finish her MBA, went back to work, and started dating again. She’s focused on rebuilding — and on finally being able to tell her side.

She also took her case to court. Hadley sued the City of Anaheim in 2017 over her wrongful arrest and three months in jail, saying the ordeal left her with paranoia and anxiety. The city settled in 2021 for an undisclosed amount (Courthouse News Service). A city spokesperson said at the time:

“We are glad to see this case come to a close so all involved can move forward.”

How the case unraveled

The Netflix documentary retraces how Hadley was framed — and how investigators eventually pieced together what really happened. Key moments:

• 2013 — Hadley meets then–U.S. Marshal Ian Diaz on a dating app; they begin dating.
• June 2015 — They get engaged and buy a condo together; Hadley puts down more than $14,000 and they take on a mortgage under $460,000 (CBS News).
• After the relationship sours, Hadley breaks up with Diaz and moves out, but remains partially responsible for the mortgage.
• 2016 — Diaz marries Angela Diaz. In May, Angela accuses Hadley of sending her violent, threatening emails (Orange County District Attorney’s Office).
• Angela also tells police Hadley posted sex ads impersonating her on Craigslist, which led men to her door. Authorities later said Angela fabricated a pregnancy and even claimed cervical cancer as part of the scheme.
• June 24, 2016 — Hadley is arrested and released on $100,000 bail the next day. She’s arrested again soon after and spends roughly three months in jail; she has since said she was abused by inmates and guards while incarcerated.
• Investigators ultimately trace IP addresses tied to the threatening emails back to Angela Diaz and the condo (ABC7).
• 2017 — All charges against Hadley are dropped; Angela Diaz is charged with 10 felony counts.
• 2021 — Ian Diaz is arrested on federal charges including cyberstalking, conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, and perjury.
• In the documentary, Hadley says she gave birth to her daughter the same day Ian Diaz was convicted.

Hadley’s ordeal — and her path forward — is the focus of A Toxic Love Story, now streaming on Netflix in the U.S.