Phoebe Bridgers is on a winning streak. She crashed Lorde’s Primavera Sound São Paulo set to perform a duet of “Stoned At The Nail Salon” last week, simultaneous to reignited rumors circulating that she’s engaged to Normal People actor Paul Mescal. Oh, by the way, she’s also going to open on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour next year. And Bridgers will be visiting stadiums across the US with a weight off her chest.
As first reported by MyNewsLA.com and confirmed by Pitchfork this morning (November 10), Bridgers was granted her anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) motion by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge — dismissing a $3.8 million defamation lawsuit filed against her by producer Chris Nelson in September 2021. The suit stemmed from Bridgers directing her followers to the Instagram of Nelson’s ex-girlfriend, bringing to light allegations against Nelson of “racially motivated violence, hate crimes, fraud robbery, and hacking women’s email accounts” (as TMZ noted at the time).
Per Pitchfork, which reviewed court documents, Bridgers initially filed her anti-SLAPP motion in February. The publication explained that “California’s anti-SLAPP statute is meant to prevent people from using courts and potential lawsuits to intimidate those exercising their right to free speech.”
Pitchfork also relayed a statement from a spokesperson on behalf of Bridgers: “We feel vindicated that the Court recognized this lawsuit as frivolous and without merit. It was not grounded in law, or facts, but was filed with the sole intention of causing harm to our client’s reputation and career. This victory is important not just for our client but for all those she was seeking to protect by using her platform.”
