The 'Motion Sickness' singer previously fired back at producer Chris Nelson, who filed a defamation lawsuit against her, calling the deposition request 'nothing more than thinly veiled harassment.'
- Apr 1, 2022
AceShowbiz - Phoebe Bridgers can't avoid a deposition in a defamation lawsuit filed against her by a producer. According to a new report, a Los Angeles judge ruled this week that the singer must sit for the deposition despite her calling it "thinly veiled harassment."
In a ruling which was issued on Tuesday, March 29, Judge Curtis A. Kin took producer Chris Nelson's side by agreeing that a deposition was necessary before the judge decides whether to dismiss his lawsuit. In the said lawsuit, he accuses Phoebe of defaming him by echoing allegations of abuse made against him by another woman.
The judge said that a decision to end the case or not would be made based on whether Bridgers acted with "actual malice." That meant the singer might lie intentionally or recklessly disregard the truth when she made the claims about Chris. The answer to that question can likely only be answered by the musician herself, thus a deposition is needed.
The judge wrote, "Because the subjective belief of [Bridgers] is critical, defendant herself is necessarily the primary, if not sole, source of evidence regarding actual malice."
Chris filed the lawsuit against Phoebe last September in Los Angeles court. He claimed that the "Motion Sickness" singer had defamed him by posting false information in a series of October 2020 Instagram posts as part of a "vendetta to destroy plaintiff's reputation."
According to Chris, Phoebe claimed in the said posts that she had "witnessed and can personally verify much of the abuse (grooming, stealing, violence) perpetuated by Chris Nelson." She additionally directed her followers to a separate thread from friend Emily Bannon, which contained more extensive allegations against him.
Meanwhile, Phoebe sought to end the case, arguing that Chris attempted to use his lawsuit against her to silence her claims of abuse. In response to the motion, Chris demanded the right to depose her as he believed that it was the only way he could prove that his allegation was valid. He said denying him that chance would violate his right to due process.
Firing back at Chris, Phoebe's attorney Alan A. Greenberg wrote in a Wednesday court filing, "Mr. Nelson's amorphous request for discovery based on his attorney's circular statement that it is necessary is nothing more than thinly veiled harassment."
