Judge Judy Sues National Enquirer Owner for Defamation Over Menendez Brothers Story

Judge Judy Sheindlin, famed TV personality, sued the parent company of the National Enquirer on Monday for defamation over an April article saying that she is seeking a new trial for the Menendez brothers.

The lawsuit filed in state court in Florida on Monday argues that an article published in InTouch Weekly on April 10 titled, “Inside Judge Judy’s Quest to Save the Menendez Brothers Nearly 35 Years After Their Parents’ Murder,” is “unequivocally false” and has damaged the “lifetime-cultivated” reputation of Sheindlin.

The suit seeks unspecified “general and special damages,” and a jury trial, with Accelerate360 and A360 Media listed as defendants.

Lyle and Erik Menendez are currently serving life sentences without parole after fatally shooting their parents in 1989.

The InTouch Weekly article was subsequently published elsewhere with headlines like “True crime! Judge Judy’s Fight for Lyle & Erik,” and “Baloney! Judge Judy on Warpath to save Menendez bros.”

“Judge Sheindlin was as floored as any reader to read those headlines,” the lawsuit states. “Sensational, headline-grabbing copy? To be sure. Accurate? No.”

The lawsuit continued, claiming that Sheindlin’s reputation has been significantly impacted by the allegations, “As a judge’s stock in trade is her reputation.”

“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 suit said.

The suit also included a thorough roundup of social media reactions to the original InTouch story, including critics saying Sheindlin had a “big mouth,” accusing her of having “dementia” and calling her a “dumbass” and “old hag.”

According to the suit, Sheindlin is attempting to “protect and repair her own good reputation, to seek redress for Defendants’ tarnishing of it and to deter Defendants from, in the future, subjecting Plaintiff or another individual to being lied about to millions of people.”

This comes shortly after former chairman and CEO of A360 Media David Pecker testified in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, detailing the catch-and-kill scheme that was intended to protect Trump, ahead of the election in 2016.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

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