Richard Simmons has filed a lawsuit against three media companies: National Enquirer, Inc. Radar Online, LLC. and American Media, Inc. on Monday. The celebrity filed a lawsuit against the companies in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that the media outlets invaded his privacy and caused libel.
The reclusive star remained out of the spotlight over the last three years, leading to outlandish rumors against Simmons.
The lawsuit stemmed from the companies claiming that Simmons was undergoing transition therapy to turn into a woman. The outlets claimed that Simmons received breast implants and consulted with doctors to undergo medical castration.
Mauro Oliveira is also part of the lawsuit. Simmons claims that Oliveira had blackmailed and stalked the star for years. The lawsuit suggests that Oliveira talked to the National Enquirer, spreading lies about Simmons, including that he is “spiritually broke, weak and frail..” The lawsuit also points to Oliveira being involved in the rumors that Simmons was being held hostage by housekeepers.
The document states: “All of these assertions were untrue, and were merely attempts by Mr. Oliveira to gain a profit in exchange for providing a false narrative about Mr. Simmons’ leave of absence.”
National Enquirer was previously warned by Tom Estey of a potential lawsuit when the paper was preparing to run a story that Simmons was transitioning with Estey, his publicist. The publication ran the story with Simmons dressed up as a woman in a three-year-old picture.
Simmons is known for dressing up as a woman as an entertainment persona.
Simmons claims that the publications were on a defamation campaign to tarnish his image. The fitness guru’s former counsel asked that the stories be retracted, but the requests went unanswered by Radar Online.
The fitness guru is asking for special damages, punitive damages, an open apology, compensatory damages and general damages. The news outlets stand firm behind their articles, stating that they’re based on “solid sourcing.”
