Dr. Phil Slaps National Enquirer Publisher With Drops $250 Million Defamation Lawsuit
American Media, Inc. mags have accused mental health pro of abuse, infidelity and generally just being a “philandering pervert,” court docs say
Tony Maglio | July 13, 2016 @ 8:04 AM
Last Updated: July 13, 2016 @ 12:15 PM
ABC
Dr. Phil McGraw and his wife have filed a $250 million defamation and libel lawsuit against American Media, Inc. (AMI), the publisher that owns the National Enquirer, Radar Online and Star Magazine.
In the suit, filed July 5 in Palm Beach County, Florida, the couple claimed that AMI magazines have published more than 85 articles about them that have “falsely categorized their marriage,” among other more specific and nefarious charges.
The stories depict the popular TV host as a “physically and verbally abusive husband,” guilty of “infidelity, sexual assault, sexual battery,” as well as just generally being a “philandering pervert,” the couple claimed. The pieces also state that the McGraws are “facing imminent divorce,” the suit said.
“It’s a delicious irony that Dr. Phil, whom a California judge has called a ‘charlatan’ and the Daily Beast has called a ‘quack’ whose ‘unseemly mélange of exploitation, celebrity parasitism and credential mining goes back years’ has filed a lawsuit against AMI and accused it of being a ‘trashy tabloid,'” AMI told TheWrap. “This from the man who visited Britney Spears in the hospital in 2008, then issued a public statement about the visit in violation of her family’s trust.”
“AMI looks forward to successfully defending itself against Dr. Phil in a court of law, and exposing his stale and fraudulent claims for what they really are,” the publisher continued. “Our titles remain committed to uncovering hard truths and stories that matter most to our millions of readers.”
AMI publications have dipped deep into Dr. Phil’s past, including threatening to post a supposed drunken bar brawl in which he reportedly smashed a beer mug over a man’s head — something that couldn’t have factually happened as written, given a debunked timeline outlined in the lawsuit.
Stories have apparently also tackled the mental health professional’s high school dating exploits, old business deals, and even the circumstances surrounding the divorce from his first wife — among other “alleged wrongdoings,” according to the suit.
The McGraws want the “economic value of the use of their names, images, and likenesses, as well as any and all profits from AMI’s unauthorized use of their names and likenesses,” which is “not less than” $250 million, they assert. Read the filing here.
“It is because AMI’s fictional ‘stories’ of Dr. and Mrs. McGraw are so out of character with the real life McGraws that people are misled to spend their money on AMI products,” the McGraws’ attorneys wrote in the filing. “The unauthorized misappropriation of the McGraws’ names and likenesses, coupled with false and sensationalized articles about the McGraws, sells magazines.”
So why do the plaintiffs believe the defendants have continued to operate in the manner, despite previous attempts to curb this sort of coverage?”
“AMI is a balance sheet insolvent company that operates on the edge, financially and otherwise,” the suit stated. “AMI’s business model has been to libel and defame for profit.”
“Confronted with financial difficulties, declining circulation, and the need for cashflow, AMI has shamelessly and unlawfully sought to generate revenues by misappropriating and capitalizing on the McGraws’ names and likenesses through commercial advertising coupled with false stories that are scandalously out of character with the couple known to the public,” it continued.
11 of the Weirdest 'Pokemon Go' Stories We've Found, So Far (Photos)
In just a week, "Pokemon Go" has captured the world's attention, and for good reason. Aside from renewing interest in the legendary pocket monsters, the mobile game has taken augmented reality technology and exposed it to an audience of untold millions. The result has been a series of anecdotes and news stories that either prove that technology can be a force for discovery and prosocial behavior, or another sign that we are falling into a dystopia.
Niantic
The most famous one so far comes from Wyoming, where a 19-year-old woman walked down to a river with her phone to see if she could find a Poliwag or another water Pokemon. Instead, she found a dead body.
County 10
Meanwhile, in Wellington, New Zealand, a pair of gamers found a gym located out in the middle of the ocean. They rented a kayak to paddle out to the spot, only to discover that the man they rented the kayak from was not only playing the game, too, but was also on the team that controlled the offshore gym.
Twitter
"Pokemon Go" has also given rise to a new cottage industry for rideshare drivers. For a fee, drivers are offering to drive gamers around neighborhoods to make it easier to find Pokemon and item stops without having to walk around. So if you're not interested in actually getting exercise while playing the game, Poke'Uber is here to give you a shortcut.
Getty
Another startup company called PokeWalk is offering to train Pokemon by taking gamers' phones and going out for a walk with them. The company also promises a refund if its runners cannot come back with more Pokemon for the customer's collection.
PokeWalk
For some, playing the game has caused them to have a serious existential crisis. One YouTuber put up a vlog talking about how she got sick of trainers coming in to her place of work to catch Pokemon, only to get hooked on the game when she tried to catch all the Pokemon sitting in her building. "So now I'm like, 'Aw, go to the back, make a left, Zubat's over there!'...I wanna catch 'em, but I feel stupid. This is not where I saw myself at 27 years old."
TheWrap
Redditor Jonathan Theriot probably didn't see himself playing a game like this when his wife went into labor. Yet there he was, trying to catch a Pidgey hiding under his wife in the delivery room.
Imgur
Now for the darker side of "Pokemon Go." Police reports show that armed robbers are using the game's geolocation and incense features to lure unsuspecting gamers to secluded areas with the hopes of catching a rare Pokemon.
O'Fallon Police
The game has also randomly set up Pokespots in areas where trying to catch Pokemon would be very inappropriate. One of the spots in New York is the 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero.
Wikimedia
The game has also generated a stop at Auschwitz, where photos have surfaced of people finding Rattatas next to signs at the infamous Nazi death camp. Niantic, the game's developer, had a similar problem with their previous hit AR game, "Ingress," which set up gaming spots at museums and war memorials.
Wikimedia
An Australian man was fired from his job at a real estate company in Singapore when he wrote a Facebook rant complaining about not being able to download "Pokemon Go" in the country. The rant included claims that Singapore was filled with "stupid people" and that the national IQ would drop if he were to leave.
TheWrap
At Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, WA, soldiers have been found entering restricted areas while searching for Pokemon. "Since 'Pokemon Go' hit last week, there have been reports of serious injuries and accidents of people driving or walking while looking at the app and chasing after the virtual Pokemon," reads a warning posted to the base's Facebook page. "Do not chase Pokemon into controlled or restricted areas, office buildings or homes on base."
Wikimedia
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People are going anywhere to catch ‘em all in “Pokemon Go”…even if it involves hunting for Pokemon in places you really shouldn’t
In just a week, "Pokemon Go" has captured the world's attention, and for good reason. Aside from renewing interest in the legendary pocket monsters, the mobile game has taken augmented reality technology and exposed it to an audience of untold millions. The result has been a series of anecdotes and news stories that either prove that technology can be a force for discovery and prosocial behavior, or another sign that we are falling into a dystopia.