Charges of Defamation that Desiree Townsend filed against Mario Lopez have been dismissed.
September 29, 2025, Published 7:51 p.m. ET
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Lopez has maintained that his statements fall under free speech protections.
Townsend initially sued Lopez, his employer NBC, Inside Edition, and even his own legal team, seeking $150 million in damages. She argued that her reputation was severely harmed following Lopez’s Instagram post in which he shared an old Inside Edition story about her, captioning it with humor and hashtags like #MethodActor and #OscarWorthy.
Lopez firmly asserted that his comments were protected under the right to free speech, prompting him to file an anti-SLAPP motion to have the lawsuit dismissed quickly, aimed specifically at protecting public figures from frivolous lawsuits.
Just last week, a judge sided with Lopez, dismissing the claims in their entirety.
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Lopez Exonerated
Radar has acquired the court order confirming the dismissal.
Court documents reveal that the judge fully granted Lopez’s anti-SLAPP motion, dismissing all allegations against him. Additionally, Lopez is entitled to seek reimbursement for his legal costs from Townsend.
According to Holly Baird, representing Lopez’s legal team:
“The Court determined that Lopez’s Instagram post—sharing a 2010 Inside Edition video with a caption—was safeguarded as free speech regarding a matter of public significance, and furthermore, constituted a non-actionable opinion rather than defamation.”
This ruling stands as a testament to California’s strong defenses for free expression.
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Argument for Freedom of Speech
Lopez was served legal papers on Father’s Day.
The host of Access Hollywood reiterated throughout the ordeal that his opinions were safeguarded by the Constitution. His legal representation emphasized in previously filed documents that any claims or statements made were fundamentally protected by the First Amendment, asserting they were expressions of opinion rather than declarations of fact.
Lopez’s team argued: “A reasonable individual would interpret those comments strictly as opinions.” Furthermore, they contended that Townsend’s lawsuit unduly infringed upon Lopez’s right to express himself freely.
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Restraining Order and Incident Details
Lopez later obtained a restraining order against Townsend.
After facing delivery of legal papers by Townsend, Lopez sought a restraining order, citing safety concerns for him and his family. He noted that Townsend had appeared at his residence on Father’s Day, leading to distress among his family members, including his children, who witnessed the service of the legal documents. Townsend allegedly exacerbated the situation by sharing a video of the event on TikTok, further violating his family’s privacy.
The restraining order mandates that Townsend must keep at least 100 yards away from Lopez and his family until February 2027.
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