Judge Judy Sheindlin may have to pay up $4 million to charity after a legal loss in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday in the $22 million counterclaim suit against talent agent Richard Lawrence and Rebel Entertainment Partners, reports Deadline. The judge hearing Sheindlin’s suit denied all three of her counterclaims for now, although the outlet reported an amended complaint is expected to be filed soon.
Rebel, Lawrence and his Abrams, Rubaloff & Lawrence firm initially hit Sheindlin last summer with a $5 million breach of contract suit, which stemmed from a $95 million sale of Judge Judy‘s library to CBS in 2017. On Aug. 19, Sheindlin and her attorneys Marty Singer and Todd Eagan filled her multimillion-dollar countersuit, and the famous TV judge promised to donate the $4 million she was expected to personally profit if her legal move was successful to a cancer charity. Sheindlin’s legal team has 30 days to amend the countersuit after issuing the ruling on declaratory relief, unlawful/unfair business practices and unjust enrichment.
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The lawyer representing Lawrence and Rebel, Freedman & Taitelman’s Bryan Freedman, told Deadline in a statement, “On August 19th, on behalf of Mr. Lawrence, we stated that Judy had no legal standing and her case would be dismissed. As the court made very clear today, that was a true statement. If Judy tries to continue with this case our client will seek sanctions and sue her for malicious prosecution. This was never a real lawsuit, only an attempt to insult an honorable man, and Judy knows that.”
Sheindlin’s Lavely & Singer lawyers, Singer and Eagen, didn’t think the legal battle was over just yet. “This is simply a procedural issue with the Court to clarify our claims by allowing us to file an amended Complaint,” Eagan told the outlet. “The court declined to dismiss the claims, and in making its ruling today the court assumed that all of the facts pled in the complaint are true – and they are true. It is not disputed that Richard Lawrence received over $20 million in packaging fees even though he did not represent a package and has caused significant damage to Judy Sheindlin by his wrongful conduct.”
Judge Judy is wrapping its syndicated run after 25 seasons, with Sheindlin announcing in October her upcoming show, Judy Justice, with Amazon Studios and IMDb TV.
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