Mario Lopez shut down a $25 million lawsuit brought by a former cheerleader who accused him of mocking her on social media, Luxury Handbag Shopping can exclusively report.
On Thursday, September 25, a hearing was held in Los Angeles Superior Court as part of Desiree Townsend’s case against Lopez, 51.
At the hearing, the court sided with Lopez and dismissed all claims against him. Townsend accused Lopez of posting a 2009 clip of her (from an old interview with Inside Edition) on Instagram in 2024 and claiming she was faking health issues.
The court found that the video, despite airing in 2009, was still an issue of public interest in 2024.
The judge said Lopez’s statement, “was made in connection with an issue of public interest.” The court order noted, “[Lopez] thus appears to have met his burden in demonstrating that the alleged defamatory post was taken in furtherance of the [Lopez’s] right of petition or free speech.”
The judge said Lopez’s Instagram post is “non-actionable opinion” and he cannot be sued over it. “In the context of this alleged defamatory post being on the [Lopez’s] public, personal Instagram account, and in the context from the average viewer of [Lopez’s] personal Instagram account, the Court does not find that the average viewer of the instant Instagram post would find the post anything more than an opinion by [Lopez] expressing his personal view about the 2010 broadcast of Inside Edition.”
In addition, the court noted that in the context of Lopez being a celebrity television host, and not a medical doctor with the ability to diagnose medical conditions, the post by Lopez seems to be a “comedic interpretation” of [Townsend’s] actions in the Inside Edition video.”
The court granted Lopez’s request to dismiss all claims.
Back in June, the former NFL cheerleader sued Lopez for defamation, false light invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The suit claimed it was brought to hold “Lopez accountable for weaponizing his platform to defame and humiliate [Townsend] in retaliation for her refusal to stay silent.”
Townsend went viral in 2009 after she did an interview with Inside Edition, where she claimed a flu shot caused her to suffer odd injuries like slurred speech and problems walking. TV producers secretly followed Townsend after the interview and captured footage where she appeared to walk without issues.
The producers ambushed her in a parking lot, but she said she claimed she was still dealing with issues from the shot.
In her lawsuit, Townsend claimed Lopez used a clip of the Inside Edition segment and posted it on his social media. He wrote, “There’s gotta be some kind of award for this performance… #MethodActor #OscarWorthy.”
Townsend commented on Lopez’s post, “You are so f-ing gross. I have been constantly harassed for having a rare disease … I hope you lose your job an[d] never work again. And I PROMISE YOU I will file a defamation case against you and your employers” at the entertainment news television show, Access Hollywood.
The suit claimed Lopez and his team decided to retain a crisis PR team to smear Townsend on social media. “The defamatory post targeting [Townsend] quickly amassed over 1 million views, followed by a subsequent post that surged to 14.4 million views,” the suit read.
“Despite enduring over 16 years of media-driven scrutiny, mockery, and reputational harm, [Townsend] has made every effort to rebuild her life and restore her professional standing,” the suit alleged. “[Lopez’s] defamatory statement, along with the newly viral smear campaign carried out by [Lopez], has revictimized [Townsend] and retraumatized her by reigniting the same false narratives that have plagued her for over a decade. “
Lopez and his lawyers at the high-powered firm, Geragos & Geragos, fired back at the lawsuit on August 12. The entertainer denied all allegations of wrongdoing. His attorney argued, “[Townsend], with full and complete knowledge and understanding of the facts and circumstances, voluntarily participated in, consented to, approved of, and ratified, any and all conduct of [Lopez] of which [Townsend] complains.”
In addition, Lopez said his comments were protected by the First Amendment. His attorney added, “[Lopez] alleges that [Townsend’s] claims are barred because [Lopez’s] statements were purely opinions, and not statements of fact, and no reasonable person who heard the statements would have interpreted them as anything but opinions.”
He asked for Townsend to receive nothing from her lawsuit and she be ordered to pay his legal fees.
