Phoebe Bridgers has had a $3.8 million (£3.3 million) lawsuit brought against her by producer Chris Nelson dismissed by a Superior Court judge in Los Angeles.
Nelson had claimed that the singer used her public platform to publish false and defamatory statements against him “in order to destroy his reputation”.
But, according to Pitchfork, Judge Curtis A. Kin has now granted Bridgers’ anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) motion, a California statute that protects people who are exercising free speech from the threat and intimidation of legal retaliation. As such, the case has essentially been dismissed.
“We feel vindicated that the Court recognized this lawsuit as frivolous and without merit,” a spokesperson for Phoebe Bridgers has said in a statement. “It was not grounded in law, or facts, but was filed with the sole intention of causing harm to our client’s reputation and career.
‘This victory is important not just for our client but for all those she was seeking to protect by using her platform.”
The case centred around a thread written by Bridgers’ friend Emily Bannon, which the ‘Motion Sickness’ singer directed her fans to on her Instagram. The thread details allegations against Nelson which he has denied and deemed to be defamatory and wanted compensation for.
In February of this year, Bridgers responded to the lawsuit brought against her, in a declaration supporting the motion to strike, saying: “I believe that the statements I made in my Instagram story are true.
“My statements were made based on my personal knowledge, including statements I personally heard Mr. Nelson make, as well as my own observations. I continue to believe the statements that I made were true.”
Bridgers wrote that what that through her observations she could verify “much of the abuse (grooming, stealing, violence) perpetuated by Chris Nelson, owner of a studio called Sound Space [based in Los Angeles]….”
Judge Curtis A. Kin now appears to agree and as such has granted that the motion be effectively thrown out of court.
The decision will likely take some stress off of Bridgers, in the run-up to her marriage to actor Paul Mescal, which hit the headlines over the weekend.
