Judge Joe Brown Source: Maury Phillips / Getty
Judge Joe Brown has responded to Sheryl Lee Ralph’s sexual assault story and although he was never named, is threatening a defamation lawsuit.
Last week Abbott Elementary’s Sheryl Lee Ralph was the special guest on Angela Yee’s Way Up With Angela Yee. The always cheerful actress shared a sexual assault encounter with a famed TV judge in hopes of empowering women to speak up.
While she didn’t name her alleged assaulter, she clarified that it was not Judge Greg Mathis whom she spoke highly of.
On Saturday, Judge Joe Brown decided to respond to Sheryl Lee Ralph’s story amid speculation that he was the unnamed assaulter.
He denied the rumors and “any acquaintance” with “the woman in question” without directly naming Ralph in his post. Some of his supporters even suggested that there was a hidden agenda going on amid his run for Mayor of Memphis.
Furthermore, in an interview with MOB Radio, Brown threatened a defamation lawsuit due to his picture being posted in relation to Ralph’s allegations.
“I might bring in my legal team and proceed for defamation of character,” said Brown. “When they put my face next to hers… that becomes innuendo. That’s very destructive to my reputation.”
He also revealed he knows “where the deep pockets are” so he might proceed with a defamation of character suit but added that Sheryl Lee Ralph, “hasn’t said anything that implicates me.”
“Somebody on the goddamned legal crew ought to say you need to be careful what you do, because even if you aren’t saying it, if you are implying it, you become subject to a defamation action,” Brown said. “The fact of the matter is I don’t know this woman, never met this woman, certainly haven’t had any kind of contact with her,” he added.
Defamation cases are hard to prove in court, especially without someone being explicitly named. Perhaps he will try his luck at websites and social media pages naming him without any confirmation.
