Judge Orders Joe Francis to Pay Nearly $36,000 in Fees

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge has ordered Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis to pay $36,000 in attorneys fees to Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole in a defamation lawsuit stemming from a fight at a West Hollywood, Calif., nightclub last year.

Francis sued Nicole for defamation for comments she made to a reporter after the incident. In February, Superior Court Judge Mark Mooney threw out Francis’ defamation claims against Nicole.

“We’re very happy,” Nicole’s attorney, Paul Clifford, of the California Anti-SLAPP Project, told XBIZ.

“One of the methods SLAPP uses is making the losing party pay attorneys fees,” he said.

“I don’t know about Francis, but this may influence others not to file baseless claims.”

Clifford added that he has good collection attorneys that are working to recover the entire amount awarded by the judge.

Though the defamation lawsuit is now over, the legal battles between Nicole and Francis are far from over. The two also have sued each other for assault and battery, claims that have not yet been decided.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Aylo Fined $5 Million as FTC, Utah Settle Safety Practices Complaint

The Federal Trade Commission and the state of Utah on Wednesday settled a complaint against Aylo, requiring the company to pay a $5 million penalty and implement measures to prevent illegal content from appearing on its sites.

XBIZ Amsterdam 2025 Show Schedule Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the release of the full show schedule for XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-4.

FSC: Missouri Age Verification Rule Will Not Take Effect August 30

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) announced that Missouri's proposed age verification legislation will not take effect on August 30, as it had originally estimated.

Germany Will Block Payments to AV-Noncompliant Adult Sites as of Dec. 1

Starting Dec. 1, Germany will implement new rules prohibiting financial institutions from providing payment services to adult sites deemed to have inadequate age verification systems and making it easier for the government to target websites mirroring the content of such sites.

FSC Launches Age Verification Toolkit for Adult Websites

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) announced today that it has launched a comprehensive toolkit to help adult websites navigate age verification laws.

Trump Administration Issues Executive Order Against 'Debanking'

The White House on Thursday issued an executive order limiting financial institutions’ ability to restrict access to financial services for people or groups involved in lawful industries, a longtime goal of adult industry advocates and stakeholders.

Florida AG Sues EU-Based Adult Companies for Failing to Age-Verify Users

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit Monday with the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida against five EU-based adult companies for allegedly failing to require age verification before allowing access to adult content.

Arcom Warns 5 Adult Sites Over Age Verification

French media regulator Arcom has sent enforcement notices to the operators of five adult websites that the agency says have failed to implement age verification as required under France’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

FSC: Identity Theft Targeting Adult Performers

The Free Speech Coalition has issued an alert warning of an individual found to be targeting adult performers for identity theft.

European Commission to Assess Pornhub, XVideos, XNXX Compliance With Digital Services Act

The European Commission plans to conduct a study to determine how well adult sites Pornhub, XVideos and XNXX are addressing illegal content and other potential harms under the EU’s Digital Services Act.

Show More