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In the latest development in the ongoing saga of Richard
Simmons, the former fitness guru filed a lawsuit Monday against
American Media Inc. — the publisher of National Enquirer and
Radar Online — claiming libel and invasion of privacy.

According to documents acquired by The Times, Simmons alleges
that former assistant Mauro Oliveira had "blackmailed, extorted
and stalked" him and that the outlets "acted in reckless
disregard for the fact that information provided by Mr. Oliveira
was false and that he was not a credible or reliable source."

The lawsuit also references Simmons' retreat from the public
eye, beginning in early 2014, before detailing Oliveira's
alleged attempts at "destroying the career and reputation of Mr.
Simmons" with the sale of false information to outlets such as
the National Enquirer.

"On information and belief, Mr. Oliveira contacted the National
Enquirer on at least three separate occasions, offering three
separate stories as to why Mr. Simmons has been absent from the
media in the past few years," the suit reads.

"Mr. Oliveira first contacted the National Enquirer on or around
May 2015, stating that Mr. Simmons's absence was due to him
being 'frail, weak and spiritually broken,' and 'in desperate
need of help.'"

The lawsuit comes after renewed interest in the life of Simmons,
spearheaded by a recent podcast titled "Missing Richard Simmons"
that purported to investigate why the fitness enthusiast had
retired from public life.

A spokesperson for American Media told People, "While we have
not seen Mr. Simmons’ complaint, we stand by our reporting about
him, all of which was based on solid sourcing and material
evidence. Should he choose to proceed with his lawsuit, we will
defend it vigorously, and we look forward to the public
vindication of our reports."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news- updates-may-richard-simmons-sues-national-enquirer-1494277573-
htmlstory.html
 

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