Michael Rapaport Moves For Summary Judgment Against Barstool Sports

Comedian Michael Rapaport moved for summary judgment in a lawsuit against Barstool Sports, Inc., on March 3, 2020, contending that there was enough evidence to find the entertainment company liable for breach of contract and defamation.

According to Rapaport’s complaint, the comedian entered into a contract with Barstool Sports in 2017 to provide video content for the company’s webpage and to host a weekly podcast on the company’s platform for Sirius XM. Rapaport claims that this deal entitled him to $200,000 for the online videos …

October 28, 2019 Baseball / Defamation / Litigation / MLB

MLB Umpire Joe West Sues Ex-Player Paul Lo Duca for Defamation Over Bribery Claims

Major League Baseball umpire Joe West has filed a lawsuit against ex-player Paul Lo Duca, alleging that Lo Duca defamed West by falsely accusing him of bribery.

In one of his podcasts this past April, Lo Duca claimed that a teammate told him that West engaged in bribery. That teammate, Billy Wagner, allegedly told Lo Duca at a 2006 or 2007 New York Mets v. Philadelphia Phillies game that he lent West his 1957 Chevrolet in exchange for opening up the strike zone for him. …

September 30, 2019 Defamation / Harassment / Litigation / NFL

New England Patriots Player Asks Judge to Throw Out ‘Trash Talk’ Lawsuit

New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung has asked a federal judge to dismiss a defamation lawsuit by a former Los Angeles Rams employee that involves the posting of a text message on social media.

As we reported earlier, former Rams ticket executive Matthew Hogan sued Chung and Matthew Weymouth, a friend of Chung’s who ran his social media pages. The lawsuit is over text messages that Chung posted to his social media. The post consisted of an exchange between Hogan and Weymouth where Hogan …

May 3, 2019 Celebrities / Defamation

Judge Denies Elon Musk’s Motion to Dismiss Defamation Lawsuit

On April 26, 2019, U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson denied Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s motion to dismiss a defamation lawsuit. No detailed order was filed; Judge Wilson simply made a text-only docket entry declining Musk’s request.

Back in September 2018, Vernon Unsworth brought suit against Musk, alleging defamation arising out of tweets and emails sent by Musk. Unsworth, who has in excess of 40 years of spelunking experience, played a pivotal role in rescuing a dozen young soccer players trapped in a Thailand cave earlier …