Judge Judith Sheindlin is America’s favorite judge, the Menendez Brothers are convicted parent killers, and The National Enquirer is a tabloid magazine.
On the surface, it doesn’t sound like the three would have much in common.
But Judge Judy, the Menendez Brothers, and the National Enquirer are all colliding in the most bizarre court case ever.
The National Enquirer makes some big claims about Judge Judy
Back in 1989, Jose and Kitty Menendez were found in their home after being shot point blank with a shotgun.
Months later, brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez were arrested.
It wasn’t until 1996 before the Menendez brothers were convicted by a jury following two highly publicized trials.
In a FOX Nation docuseries, an alternate juror going by the name of “Judi Zamos” said that she didn’t believe the brothers received fair due process during the second trial.
“Judi Zamos” was a cover name used in order to protect the juror’s identity.
Earlier this year, The National Enquirer parent company, Accelerate360, ran a piece called Inside Judge Judy’s Quest to Save the Menendez Brothers Nearly 35 Years After Their Parents’ Murder.
The National Enquirer also ran the story on the front page of its print and digital editions.
USA Today is reporting that the outlet attributed the “Judi Zamos” comments to Judge Judith Sheindlin.
It went on to add that Judge Judy wanted a retrial for the Menendez Brothers.
And she isn’t happy about it.
Judge Judy sues The National Enquirer
USA Today is reporting that Scheindlin has filed a 60-page lawsuit against Accelerate360 in a Circuit Court in Collier County, Florida.
The suit alleges defamation and is seeking “general and special damages.”
“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,” Judge Judy said in an interview with Deadline. “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 suit centers around the assumption that Sheindlin was “Judi Zamos.”
“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,’” the suit reads. “Judge Sheindlin has never gone by the name Judi Zamos, nor was she an alternate juror in the Menendez trial.”
National Enquirer and InTouch both removed the article from their respective sites, but it can still be found online.
Accelerate360 has not commented as to why they connected Judge Judy to “Judi Zamos.”
This is not the first conflict between Judge Judy and The National Enquirer.
In 2017, the publication reported that Sheindlin had cheated on her husband.
They also reported she had Alzheimer’s disease and depression.
The magazine had to issue retractions on both of those claims.
Patriot Political will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
