Judge Judy Sues American Tabloid Newspaper For Defamation Over Bizarre Claims
Renowned courtroom television personality Judge Judy has initiated legal action against the parent company of the National Enquirer, alleging defamation.
The defendants in the lawsuit, namely Accelerate360 and A360 Media, were identified in documents obtained by Daily Mail.
Judge Judy sues the National Enqurier owner for defamation over ‘fabricated’ claim she was on a ‘quest’ to save the Menendez brothers https://t.co/LJYYuwZWRt pic.twitter.com/XN0Q26tFD2
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) May 13, 2024
The legal complaint was lodged on behalf of Judy Sheindlin in Collier County, Florida.
The outlet reported that the suit comes after what Sheindlin terms a “fabricated” assertion that states Sheindlin embarked on a personal crusade to aid the Menendez brothers some 35 years subsequent to the slaying of their parents.
Lyle and Erik Menendez presently serve life sentences without the possibility of parole for the fatal shooting of their parents within the confines of the family’s Beverly Hills estate in 1989.
Both brothers, who were convicted in 1996 for the double homicide, have remained incarcerated.
InTouch Weekly, an American tabloid under the same corporate umbrella as the National Enquirer, published an article entitled “Inside Judge Judy’s Quest to Save the Menendez Brothers Nearly 35 Years After Their Parents’ Murder.”
NBC News reported that the narrative subsequently proliferated through other platforms, allegedly including the National Enquirer, which emblazoned its front pages with the headline “True crime! Judge Judy’s FIGHT FOR LYLE & ERIK!”
The article itself bore the headline “BALONEY! Judge Judy on Warpath to save Menéndez bros.”
The lawsuit brought forth by Sheindlin states that multiple publications owned by A360 Media have inflicted harm upon the judge’s esteemed reputation, cultivated over six decades of dedicated work.
“In one fell swoop, Judge Sheindlin’s lifetime-cultivated reputation has taken a body blow in the form of an account replete with ‘facts’ diminishing her to a rube, a fool – or worse,” the legal filing asserted.
“Judge Judy” Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents. https://t.co/UAk0mAdIcC
— Spectrum News 13 (@MyNews13) May 14, 2024
The suit further alleges that the defendants were motivated by a desire for increased publicity, broader viewership, and augmented advertisement revenue, despite lacking any substantive basis for involving Sheindlin in the narrative.
A statement provided exclusively to Daily Mail on Monday showed Sheindlin addressing the necessity of her lawsuit against the media outlet.
“When you fabricate stories about me in order to make money for yourselves with no regard for the truth or the reputation I’ve spent a lifetime cultivating, it’s going to cost you. When you’ve done it multiple times, it’s unconscionable and will be expensive. It has to be expensive so that you will stop,” the statement read.
Sheindlin, represented by attorney Eric George, is pursuing damages, the amount of which remains unspecified but is expected to exceed the minimum jurisdictional limits of the court.
Sheindlin and her legal team are demanding a swift trial by jury, and the lawsuit alleges a pattern of misinformation targeting the television judge.
The suit promises to cast a glaring spotlight on the journalistic practices of the American media company.
Daily Mail noted that this scrutiny may work in favor of Sheindlin and her legal counsel, especially considering the damning testimony of former chairman and CEO of A360 Media, David Pecker, who publicly acknowledged, “Making up stories and obsessing with ratings are par for the course for the National Enquirer.”
Pecker’s admission carries weight, particularly in light of past incidents, Daily Mail highlighted.
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