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Viacom will not not have to face a jury in Georgia Federal Court after coming to a settlement with Perri “Pebbles” Reid, the former manager of the 1990s R&B group TLC. The trial was set for September 24 but the case was closed on Friday August 24 after the judge was informed of the deal. Perri filed a $40 million defamation lawsuit in 2014 after VH1 aired CrazySexyCool.
Via The Hollywood Reporter, “Viacom attempted to get the case dismissed by presenting its film as a story told from the perspective of the two surviving members of TLC, who cooperated fully in its development. The media company urged the judge to recognize there was no actual malice in what had been broadcast and with nods to such films as Selma, The social Network and Ray, that creative liberties were often taken by those who make docudramas.”
U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen concluded that not everything Peri was upset about in the film was capable of defamatory meaning, but some scenes were indeed capable of supporting a defamation claim.
There will not be a trial thanks to the settlement. Terri’s lawyers says the terms of resolution are confidential.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Written By: Fantasia Harvey