Summary: Blake Shelton’s lawsuit against In Touch Weekly for reporting that the country singer went to rehab will move forward.
In Touch Weekly reported back in September that country singer Blake Shelton had spent time in rehab for alcohol problems. The singer and The Voice coach fired back with a defamation lawsuit, which a federal judge ruled could move forward.
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Shelton claims that the September issue from the tabloid has damaged his reputation. He is seeking over $1 million in damages and an injunction stopping the magazine from reprinting any of their claims about his rehab visit in other issues.
See Dean of University of Virginia Files Defamation Suit against Rolling Stone.
Judge Christina A. Snyder denied the magazine’s attempt to have the lawsuit dismissed. They cited their First Amendment right of free speech but the judge ruled the headline – “Rehab for Blake: He Finally Hits Rock Bottom” – was enough for a libel claim. In the text of the story the magazine claimed that Blake was drinking vodka before noon and that his drinking problem was the reason for his divorce from fellow country singer Miranda Lambert, causing friends to stage an intervention.
Read New York Post Denied to Throw Out Defamation Lawsuit.
Snyder wrote, “A reasonable person viewing the In Touch headlines and sub-headlines – which were located 30 pages away from the Article – might well have concluded that Shelton had, in fact, entered ‘REHAB’ after ‘his friends begged him to stop joking about drinking & get help.’”
Now Shelton’s attorneys must prove that the story was published with malice.
Shelton is busy acting as a coach on the 10th Season of The Voice and preparing for the release of his new album, which features a duet with current girlfriend, fellow The Voice coach and singer Gwen Stefani.
Photo: etonline.com