Matt LeBlanc’s Defamation Suit
A stripper has filed a defamation lawsuit against Matt LeBlanc claiming he made false statements about her in a story published in 2005.
By: Shannon Gossage
Stephanie Stephens claims that LeBlanc made false statements about her and an encounter the two shared in a story for the National Enquirer which was published in August 2005. Stephens filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court last week claiming the former Friends actor "did intentionally slander her in a story titled "Matt LeBlanc: My Wild Night with a Stripper."
LeBlanc said in the story that a night out in Canada with some friends last summer took a turn for the worse when they ended up at a strip club. LeBlanc who was married at the time said in the article, "The stripper was all over me. I was drinking and she was crossing the line…She was in my face, pushing her breasts into me and grabbing my hands to go all over her body. She was telling me to caress her and in my head I’m thinking, ‘What’s going on?’" It was rumored that LeBlanc’s night of "debauchery" was due to copious amounts of alcohol and cocaine. LeBlanc denied the cocaine claims but does fess up to being drunk and claims a "trap had been set for him" by the stripper.
Stephens claims the article "impugned" her character even though she was never identified by name. She claims that she never came on to him or tried to entice him. She also claims that nothing happened at her place of employment. In the suit it states "all sexual contact between [LeBlanc] and [Stephens] took place in the privacy of [Stephens’] residence." There has been no comment from LeBlanc’s camp about the lawsuit. Stephens is seeking unspecified damages and claims the article cause her "wage loss, general damage, and loss of earning capacity." LeBlanc has since separated from his wife Melissa McKnight and the couple will reportedly share custordy of their two-year old daughter, Marina. LeBlanc is reportedly seeing his Joey co-star Andrea Anders.
Stephanie Stephens claims that LeBlanc made false statements about her and an encounter the two shared in a story for the National Enquirer which was published in August 2005. Stephens filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court last week claiming the former Friends actor "did intentionally slander her in a story titled "Matt LeBlanc: My Wild Night with a Stripper."
LeBlanc said in the story that a night out in Canada with some friends last summer took a turn for the worse when they ended up at a strip club. LeBlanc who was married at the time said in the article, "The stripper was all over me. I was drinking and she was crossing the line…She was in my face, pushing her breasts into me and grabbing my hands to go all over her body. She was telling me to caress her and in my head I’m thinking, ‘What’s going on?’" It was rumored that LeBlanc’s night of "debauchery" was due to copious amounts of alcohol and cocaine. LeBlanc denied the cocaine claims but does fess up to being drunk and claims a "trap had been set for him" by the stripper.
Stephens claims the article "impugned" her character even though she was never identified by name. She claims that she never came on to him or tried to entice him. She also claims that nothing happened at her place of employment. In the suit it states "all sexual contact between [LeBlanc] and [Stephens] took place in the privacy of [Stephens’] residence." There has been no comment from LeBlanc’s camp about the lawsuit. Stephens is seeking unspecified damages and claims the article cause her "wage loss, general damage, and loss of earning capacity." LeBlanc has since separated from his wife Melissa McKnight and the couple will reportedly share custordy of their two-year old daughter, Marina. LeBlanc is reportedly seeing his Joey co-star Andrea Anders.
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