Litigation partner Joel Weiner was recently quoted in Law360 regarding the successful outcome of the recent defamation lawsuit filed against the producers of "The Wendy Williams Show."
The matter focused on "The Wendy Williams Show's" rebroadcast of a celebrity Instagram video in which Sherri Shepherd, an actress and former co-host of the "The View," alleged racial profiling at a Staples store in Hollywood. She asserted that an employee had denied her and a friend access to a bathroom because she was black. The employee sued for slander, denying racial profiling and claiming damage to her reputation. A California judge rejected the slander claims, ruling that Shepherd's statements and Wendy Williams' comments on the video amounted to opinion protected by the First Amendment. The ruling was made under California's anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation law—a statute passed in many states that allows judges to quickly end lawsuits that threaten free speech.
"This ruling is a victory for free speech," said Joel, "and supports the important ongoing debate regarding equal treatment of individuals in our country."
Read "Wendy Williams Beats Racial Profiling Defamation Suit" in its entirety.
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