Phoebe Bridgers scores legal victory as judge orders accuser to pay nearly $900k in fees

Phoebe Bridgers has secured another legal win in the long-running defamation case brought against her by music producer Chris Nelson.

• READ MORE: Boygenius on the enduring power of ‘The Record’: “We feel as good as we ever hoped to”

The case dates back to September 2021, when the singer-songwriter shared an Instagram thread that accused Nelson of “grooming, stealing [and] violence”. Nelson, who owns the Sound Space recording studio in Los Angeles, claimed the post was defamatory against him.

He sought $3.8million (£2.8million) in damages, claiming Bridgers “intentionally used her high-profile public platform on Instagram to publish false and defamatory statements” about him “in order to destroy his reputation”.

Responding to the allegations, Bridgers said: “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.”

In November 2022, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissed Nelson’s suit, and now, Nelson has been ordered to pay Bridgers $392,070 (£291,805) in legal fees and costs. That is in addition to a previous order to pay $496,600 (£369,600), meaning that Nelson currently owes Bridgers a total of $888,768 (£661,480).

Bridgers is entitled to compensation because of the case’s dismissal, with further damages due as a result to Nelson failing to successfully appeal the ruling. Bridgers’ attorneys say he has not yet paid any of the total.

In other Bridgers news, rumours emerged earlier this year that she might be set to appear in Primetime, an upcoming A24 film starring Robert Pattinson.

The movie reportedly follows a journalist – played by Pattinson – who ends up changing the landscape of television after taking on the undercover world of crime. It appears to have been inspired by the American reality series To Catch A Predator, but the film’s release date is still under wraps.

Last year, Boygenius – the trio of Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, announced they were going on hiatus after the completion of their critically acclaimed album ‘The Record’ in 2023.

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