Judge Judy Suffers Another Court Loss In Profits Battle, Both Sides Continue To Fight On
Judge Judy — whose real name is Judith Sheindlin — can't catch a break in her costly court battle with CBS against talent agent Richard Lawrence and Rebel Entertainment Partners over the lucrative sales of the Judge Judy series' library. Her attempt to completely throw out the lawsuit against herself and CBS didn't work; however, she remains determined to have the final say.
On Friday, June 11, Judge Patricia Nieto doubled down on her ruling from the day prior, denying Sheindlin's stance that plaintiff Rebel Entertainment Partners “has no standing to sue on this contract as a third-party beneficiary," as Nieto explained of Sheindlin's demurrer.
Nieto shot down Sheindlin's multiple causes of action in her nearly year-long battle with Rebel and original packager talent agent Lawrence.
Last August, Rebel sued the reality star judge and a ViacomCBS division over profits from the long-running syndicated court show — which concluded filming earlier this year. The plaintiffs are reportedly seeking profit participation, pay-outs and more. In response, Sheindlin filed a $22 million counterclaim suit, which was tossed out, against Lawrence and Rebel.
After the judge's ruling in the latest court hearing, Sheindlin threw shade at Lawrence, alluding that he had not been involved in the series since it first began. “Richard Lawrence has garnered 22 plus million dollars although I have seen him only once in an elevator since our program began 25 years ago," Sheindlin told Deadline, who obtained the legal documents in the case. "I look forward to a trial."
Meanwhile, Rebel attorney Bryan Freedman is also looking forward to continuing on with their court battle. "In March, Judge Judy’s frivolous lawsuit against Rebel and Richard Lawrence was dismissed after the judge properly found that she lacked standing to sue," he told the outlet, adding that CBS and Sheindlin have ignored their contract with his client.
“Ironically, Judy then asserted that Rebel lacked standing to sue her. The Court has correctly rejected this meritless argument," Freedman continued. "CBS and Judy have intentionally ignored the rights of the profit participants that made their success possible. That behavior will not be tolerated."
The plaintiffs went after the 78-year-old with a $5 million breach of contract suit last summer after years of multiple court filings of profit participation against CBS, which was settled early on last year. The action was birthed in 2017 after Sheindlin "sold the Library to CBS Television Distribution for a sales price ‘over $95,000,000,'" a Los Angeles Superior Court previously reported.
