Baller Alert reported first on this development in the legal battle between Gilbert Arenas and Laura Govan, based on court documents our team reviewed.
In October 2015, Arenas filed a defamation lawsuit against his ex, Govan. The suit claims she damaged his reputation by sending emails to blogs that made claims about his personal life and health. Those are the allegations in Arenas’ lawsuit, and Govan’s side of the dispute has yet to be heard in court.
According to the court documents, Govan’s attorney filed two motions: an anti SLAPP motion, which is a California law meant to protect free speech, and a motion to dismiss the case. On May 16, the judge denied both.
The anti SLAPP motion was denied because it was filed too late. Under California law, that kind of motion generally has to be filed within 60 days of the complaint unless the judge grants an extension. Govan’s motion was filed 183 days after the complaint, without the judge’s permission. Govan has said she needed more time because she had trouble affording a lawyer. The attorney who filed the motion, Michael Heicklen, said he was hired only to file that motion.
The judge also wrote that a person’s private life is not a matter of public interest and that Govan had not shown why it should be in this case. The lawsuit further alleges that Govan wrote the emails in question and sent them to blogs, which is a claim the court has not decided.
To be clear, the judge’s ruling only decided that the case can move forward. It was not a verdict, and no finding of guilt or liability has been made. Govan is expected to be back in court as the case continues.
We will keep you posted as this story develops.
