XPost: alt.support.srs, alt.cities.chicago, alt.politics.usa.obama
XPost: alt.masturbation.female
Fitness guru Richard Simmons filed a defamation lawsuit Monday
against the National Enquirer and Radar Online for publishing
stories that he said falsely alleged he is transitioning from
male to female and undergoing sex reassignment surgery.
Simmons is suing the publications on the grounds that the
stories were part of a “hurtful campaign of defamations and
privacy invasions, falsely asserting that Mr. Simmons is
transitioning from male to female, including ‘shocking sex
surgery,’ breast implants, hormone treatments, and consultations
on medical castration," according to the lawsuit filed in Los
Angeles Superior Court.
The suit states that the allegations are particularly offensive
because Simmons is an "avid supporter of the LBGTQ community and
individual autonomy." Simmons alleges that both the National
Enquirer and Radar Online “specialize in salacious stories,
often featuring celebrities, callously calculated to generate
profit through defamation and invasion of privacy."
Simmons admits in the suit that he has been subject to intense
media scrutiny since he announced in 2014 that he was taking a
leave of absence from public life. He claims that shortly after
retreating, a man named Mauro Oliveira simultaneously
"blackmailed, extorted and stalked Simmons for several years
with the intention of destroying the career and reputation of
Mr. Simmons" and also "contacted several press outlets,
including National Enquirer and Radar, and offered information
on Mr. Simmons’ disappearance for a fee.”
Simmons believes that Oliveira, his former friend and masseuse,
contacted the National Enquirer on at least three separate
occasions, including with false allegations that Simmons was
transitioning from male to female. When Simmons learned that
tabloid was planning to publish a story with those claims, his
attorney informed the publication the information was false.
But despite this denial, the story was published with the
headline “Richard Simmons: He Is Now a Woman!” with a picture of
Simmons wearing a dress and a wig. The article stated that
Simmons has “slowly transformed into a female with breast
implants, hormone treatment, and medical consultations on
castration” and that he is “now living as a gal named Fiona.”
https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017- 05/8/18/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-01/sub-buzz-19868- 1494283387-5.png?downsize=715:*&output-format=auto&output-
quality=auto
Simmons said the story is 100% false and the photo is an old
image of his longstanding burlesque-style entertainment persona.
Simmons said the National Enquirer and Radar Online also
published other stories with the same premise.
The two publications, both owned by parent company AMI, issued a
statement declaring that they stand by the reporting — and will
continue to probe Simmons' life.
"Our story was based on credible sources who were in Mr.
Simmons’ inner circle. The photos provided to The ENQUIRER are
real — and speak for themselves," the statement said. "We stand
by our reporting about Mr. Simmons, and intend to vigorously
defend this lawsuit and win public vindication of our reports.
"We will also aggressively pursue our ongoing investigation into
his life and who is really behind this bizarre and meritless
lawsuit."
Simmons' silence over his reasons for withdrawing from his
exercise studio and from making appearances has fueled a public
obsession with the once-approachable weight-loss personality,
spawning the podcast Missing Richard Simmons by Dan Taberski.
Missing Richard Simmons repeated the transitioning rumor, and
also heavily relied on Oliveira as a source.
Reached by email Monday afternoon, Taberski wrote: "The lawsuit
isn’t about me, so I’m not going to comment on it. The story I
set out to tell ended back in March. But clearly it's not over
yet for some of the people involved."
The National Enquirer said in their statement that this public
interest drove its reporting. "This is a legitimate news story
that demands coverage. It is the business of The National
ENQUIRER — and has been for the past 90 years — to report on
what goes on behind the closed doors of Hollywood," the
statement read.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiarosenbaum/fitness-guru-richard- simmons-sues-national-enquirer-for-
sex?utm_term=.ualAqXNxZ#.tybJm8BMz
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