EXETER, NEW HAMPSHIRE - JANUARY 21: Judge Judy Sheindlin introduces Republican presidential candidate, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, during a campaign event at Exeter High School on January 21, 2024, in Exeter, New Hampshire. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier today announced he was pulling out of the Republican race as Haley continues to campaign across New Hampshire ahead of the state's January 23 primary. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Judy Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy, is suing the parent company of National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly for defamation after they released a story connecting Sheindlin to the Menendez Brothers.
Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989 after alleged sexual abuse by their father. The brothers were incarcerated in 1990 and continue to serve prison time.
In April, InTouch Weekly published an article titled “Inside Judge Judy’s Quest to Save the Menendez Brothers Nearly 35 Years After Their Parents’ Murder.” A second version of the story was later published in the National Enquirer.
“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,” Sheindlin stated. “When you’ve done it multiple times, it’s unconscionable and will be expensive. It has to be expensive so that you will stop.”
Sheindlin’s lawsuit speculates that the news outlets misidentified Judi Zamos, an alternate juror in the trial, as Sheindlin. It is unclear how much Sheindlin is seeking in compensation.
National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly allegedly received information from a Peacock docuseries titled Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.
Sheindlin’s lawsuit filing states, “It entirely misquoted its source material, which identified the speaker of the challenged statements by name—an individual identified onscreen in the docuseries as ‘Judi Zamos,’ and as an ‘Alternate Juror, First Trial.’ Judge Sheindlin has never gone by the name Judi Zamos, nor was she an alternate juror in the Menendez trial.”
This is not the first conflict between Sheindlin and the National Enquirer. In 2017, the newspaper published an article falsely claiming Sheindlin had Alzheimer’s disease and depression and cheated on her husband. The outlet apologized for the article.
The Enquirer was in the news last month when its former publisher, David Pecker, revealed the outlet made up stories about opponents of former President Donald Trump before the 2016 election.
In January, Sheindlin endorsed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley for president.
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