LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles judge today granted an anti-SLAPP motion dismissing a lawsuit filed by Jessy Jones against Hussie Models and agency owner Riley Reynolds in February.
As XBIZ reported, Jones filed the $2 million defamation lawsuit against performer MJ Fresh and against Hussie and Reynolds, her former agency and agent, over an alleged incident following a content shoot last December.
A few days after the shoot, Jones alleged, Fresh began what he called “a campaign of threats and false allegations of rape” via Twitter. Jones cited a Jan. 18 video by Fresh allegedly accusing him “of rape, numerous lies and other unlawful conduct.”
The following day, Jones alleged, Reynolds and Hussie Models “ratified MJ Fresh’s conduct” by blocking Jones in order to thwart his attempts to contact them.
Commenting on today’s proceedings, Reynolds' attorney, Pierre Pine, told XBIZ that the court indicated it was dismissing the case against Hussie and Reynolds “because ‘the thrust of these claims arise from a right to petition or free speech and because Jones failed to meet his burden of demonstrating his pleadings or evidence allege or show even minimal merit.’ The court invited Reynolds to file a motion for attorneys’ fees, which will be heard and decided in September.”
Reynolds added that he is "feeling a sense of rest" about the dismissal of the case against him and his agency.
"We are pleased with the outcome and are focusing on what matters most, nurturing our brand and collaborating with with some of the best talent in our industry," the Florida-based agent added.
Jones’ main lawsuit against Fresh was not dismissed. That lawsuit alleges that her “reckless and intentional conduct” has caused him “to lose many lucrative contracts and relationships” and that he “has suffered substantial damages, including economic harm (past and future income), severe emotional distress, humiliation, anxiety, worriedness and loss of sleep, all in in an amount to be determined at trial, but believed to be in excess of $2,000,000.”
Jones, who is currently represented by industry attorney James Felton, told XBIZ that “there are two pieces to the original lawsuit: the first was seeking justice against MJ for making false claims about me; the second was holding Hussie and Riley responsible for MJ’s conduct because they knew that she was not telling the truth” and because Hussie and Riley “failed to distance themselves from her statements. The court found that Hussie and Riley should not be responsible for her conduct. No rulings have been made as to MJ’s liability and culpability.”
