Judge Judy sues tabloid publisher over false claim she supports Menendez brothers

Judith Sheindlin, who presided over televised small claims cases for 25 years as "Judge Judy," sued the publisher of supermarket tabloids for writing that she was working to get a new trial for Erik and Lyle Menendez, the brothers who killed their parents in 1989 in Beverly Hills.

"When you fabricate stories about me in order to make money for yourselves with no regard for the truth or the reputation I've spent a lifetime cultivating, it's going to cost you," Sheindlin said in a statement about the lawsuit filed in Collier County, Florida.

The article was published on InTouch Weekly's website on April 10 under the headline, "Inside Judge Judy's Quest to Save the Menendez Brothers Nearly 35 Years After Their Parents' Murder."

The lawsuit was filed by Eric M. George of Ellis George LLP in Beverly Hills and John K. Shubin of the Shubin Law Group in Miami. Judge Judy Sheindlin v. Accelerate360 and A360 Media, LLC., (20th Jud. Cir. of Fla. filed May 13, 2024)

Accelerate360 and A360 Media, LLC. Publishes the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly. A representative for the company did not respond to requests for comment.

Erik Menendez, now 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56, used a shotgun to murder their parents, Jose and Kitty, on Aug. 20, 1989. The gruesome murder shocked the nation. Their first trial was televised and ended in a hung jury. Both brothers were convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the retrial and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In her complaint, Sheindlin says her reputation as a no-nonsense judge was severely damaged by an article that maintained she was working to help the murderers. The quotes were used in a docuseries which aired on Fox Nation.

"In one fell swoop, Judge Sheindlin's lifetime-cultivated reputation has taken a body blow in the form of an account replete with "facts" diminishing her to a rube, a fool -- or worse," the complaint states.

"Judge Sheindlin was skewered variously with hatred, distrust, ridicule, contempt or disgrace -- precisely as one would expect upon being told she questioned the fairness of the trial convicting the Menendez brothers," the complaint continues.