Television personality “Judge Judy” Sheindlin has filed a lawsuit against the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly. Sheindlin alleges that the publications falsely reported that she was involved in assisting the Menendez brothers in obtaining a retrial for the murder of their parents.
According to a lawsuit filed in circuit court in Collier County, Florida, the story was initially published on InTouch Weekly’s website on April 10. The headline of the article read “Inside Judge Judy’s Quest to Save the Menendez Brothers Nearly 35 Years After Their Parents’ Murder.”
The National Enquirer, a sister publication to InTouch Weekly and owned by Accelerate360 Media, later featured a version of the story. The 1989 Menendez murders in Beverly Hills, California, gained some tabloid fame.
Judge Sheindlin has remained silent on the matter. In her lawsuit, she speculates that the media outlets wrongly attributed statements made by “Judi Ramos,” an alternate juror in the first Menendez trial, to herself. She claims that these statements were featured in a Fox Nation docuseries.
Accelerate360 has not yet commented on the matter. Last year, they tried to sell the National Enquirer, but the deal did not go through.
Judge Sheindlin did not specify a specific amount of damages, but she made it clear that it would not come cheap.
In a strongly worded statement, she expressed her outrage at the fabrication of stories for the sole purpose of generating profit, without any consideration for the truth or the reputation she has worked hard to build. She made it clear that this behavior would not go unpunished, stating, “It’s going to cost you.” Furthermore, she emphasized the severity of the situation by highlighting that these actions have been repeated multiple times, deeming it unconscionable. To put an end to this unethical practice, she asserted the need for a significant financial consequence, stating, “It has to be expensive so that you will stop.”
Judge Judy Sheindlin, who previously hosted the popular syndicated show “Judge Judy” until 2021 and currently hosts “Judy Justice,” has had previous encounters with the Enquirer.
In 2017, the newspaper issued a retraction and offered an apology for publishing stories that made false claims about her. The articles wrongly stated that she had Alzheimer’s disease and depression, and also accused her of being unfaithful to her husband.
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