Judge rejects tabloid’s motion to dismiss Blake Shelton suit

  • By ANTHONY McCARTNEY AP Entertainment Writer
  • Tuesday, April 19, 2016 1:53pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

LOS ANGELES — Blake Shelton’s defamation lawsuit against In Touch Weekly will proceed after a judge Tuesday rejected a motion to dismiss the case by the tabloid’s publisher.

U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder in Los Angeles ruled that the country music star had shown that a headline the tabloid published in September 2015 that declared “Rehab for Blake” could be interpreted by the average reader as meaning the singer was receiving addiction treatment.

Shelton sued Bauer Publishing Co. in November over the headline and an accompanying story that included several anecdotes of the country music star’s supposed drunken antics. Shelton, who is a judge on NBC’s “The Voice,” denies several key events in the story occurred and states he does not have a drinking problem.

Bauer’s attorney Elizabeth McNamara did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. She said last week that if Snyder’s ruling becomes official, it will be appealed. She argued that the Grammy-nominated singer had created his “entire reputation around excessive drinking.”

Snyder rejected that argument in her ruling, saying that Shelton was not in fact “libel proof.”

Shelton’s attorney Stanton “Larry” Stein attacked McNamara’s arguments during a hearing last week and In Touch’s story, saying it was “absolutely 100 percent false.”

Snyder urged the attorneys at the April 11 hearing to settle the case, saying it would be costly for both sides if it went through an appeal.

The “Boys ‘Round Here” singer has also denied the magazine’s claims, writing in a sworn declaration submitted to Snyder, “Not only was I not in rehab or headed to rehab when it was published, but I also do not have a drinking problem.”

Shelton noted the September 2015 story came at a time when he was working on new music, negotiating endorsement deals and his role hosting Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards was about to be announced.

“I felt that the Rehab Story jeopardized both my personal and professional reputation and that I needed to do everything I could to set the record straight,” Shelton wrote.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.