Judge Shuts Down Jim Bellino's Demand For Tamra Judge's Texts In Bitter Defamation Lawsuit
Oct. 22 2018, Published 4:31 p.m. ET
A judge has shut down former The Real Housewives of Orange County star Jim Bellino's motion for discovery in his lawsuit against ex-costars Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador, RadarOnline.com can exclusively report.
During an October 18 hearing in Orange County Superior Court, Judge Layne H. Melzer ruled against Bellino's motion for discovery, which included texts between Judge and comedian friend Heather McDonald, and continued the case to December 6.
Melzer claimed that under California law, all requests for discovery must be placed on hold after a party files an anti-SLAPP motion, which is a motion to strike a complaint due to freedom of speech.
"As a result, a plaintiff who brings a defamation action subject to the malice standard cannot show good cause for discovery on the question of actual malice without making a prima facie showing first that the defendant's published statements contain provably false factual assertions," Melzer wrote.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Bellino, the ex-husband of RHOC star Alexis Bellino, filed a $1 million defamation lawsuit against Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador in September after they called him a "shady mother***er" who is "going to jail" on McDonald's podcast in June.
Judge and Beador went on to allege people were paralyzed at one of Bellino's trampoline parks.
"I am not amused and will be seeking full compensation for the damages to my reputation and my business and all of the pain and suffering that Judge and Beador have put me and my family through during a very personally difficult time in my life," Bellino huffed to RadarOnline.com after he filed the suit.
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