In early October of 2021, the acclaimed singer-songwriter and musician Phoebe Bridgers was sued by record producer and creator of Sound Space Studios, Chris Nelson, on the basis of alleged defamation. The lawsuit followed an Instagram post from Bridgers in 2020, where she allegedly directed fans to a thread by Emily Bannon, which Nelson claims to have allegedly defamed him. Nelson’s suit seeks $3.8 million in in damages, claiming that her statements allegedly harmed his career.

In response, Bridgers reaffirmed her belief in her public statements, swearing in a February 14 declaration that “I believe that the statements I made in my Instagram story are true. My statements were made based on my personal knowledge, including statements I personally heard Mr. Nelson make.” Bridgers’ attorney, Alan A. Greenberg, later described the suit as “nothing more than thinly veiled harassment.”

On August 12, Bridgers appeared in court to battle the lawsuit, and NME has reported that the presiding judge, Curtis Kin, is currently leaning toward dismissing the case.

Bridgers’ team’s motion to dismiss the case, filed in February, cites California’s Anti-SLAPP laws to argue that because Nelson is a public person, his case must demonstrate that Bridgers allegedly “acted with actual malice.” It went on to argue that “Ms. Bridgers has submitted a declaration affirming her subjective belief in the truth of her statements, so Mr. Nelson cannot meet his burden. The court therefore should grant this special motion to strike.”

In an interview, Judge Curtis Kin explains that “I’ve had time to think about this, and I certainly have some formulated thoughts, where I’m at, where I’m leaning.” NME quotes the judge explaining that “I’ll tell you outright that I would tend to think that I would grant the anti-SLAPP motion. It would seem to me that the posting by Ms. Bridgers is one that is a matter of public interest. It seems to me that her statements on Instagram are statements that concern a person who’s in the public eye, as well as statements that could directly affect a large number of persons beyond Mr. Nelson and Ms. Bridgers.”

Nelson went on to argue that it may be a “matter of public interest when Ms. Bridgers, in her Instagram post, intended to provide protected consumer information to musicians or others who might consider working with the plaintiff.” He also pointed out a possible inconsistency between Nelson’s description of himself as a private person and his description of himself as a “well established” producer.

Earlier this month, Phoebe Bridgers played a secret show in a small, intimate venue in Little Saint, California.

Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz