A district judge in the United States has said she is inclined to rule that country singer Blake Shelton may proceed with his defamation lawsuit against a publication. Shelton sought proceedings to sue following alleged claims by a tabloid publication that he was headed for rehab.
Judge Christina Snyder delivered a tentative ruling on the case in Los Angeles. Shelton sought legal action following the story and the accompanying headline "Rehab for Blake," Fox News said quoting a news agency report.
The cover story on "In TouchWeekly" appeared on newsstands on September 2015. The $2 million defamation case has been ongoing since October 2015. According to the news channel which quoted agencies, the singer claimed he did not have a drinking problem. Furthermore, he denied several instances described in the story.
Snyder during the hearing is quoted by the news agencies as saying it is up to a jury to decide if the headline was defamatory. The courts will issue a final ruling in a few weeks time.
"He did not kiss or hook up with any women while in Mexico," Shelton's lawyers said in a statement obtained by ET Online regarding the incident. The legal team has denied that the "Sangria" singer took part in any "alcohol -fuelled " meetings with women while in Cancun, Mexico in August 2015.
"He did not have a suite or room with a hot tub, his room was not called a 'Passion Suite," the website said quoting the statement. "He did not party with strippers or go to a strip club. He was not doing shots of tequila nonstop, " the statement claimed.
The entertainment website quoted Shelton as saying he was not a guest at ME Melia hotel. The same one which the tabloid magazine claimed he stayed at while in Mexico. However, the website quotes the singer as saying he did visit the Rose Bar at the hotel with a friend, Kevin Canady.
"A blond woman who appeared to be exiting the property (Rose Bar) stopped me and asked me to take a picture with her. I did not know this woman, but I agreed to take a picture with her," Shelton said in a declaration obtained by the website.
Meanwhile, amidst the country star's ongoing lawsuit, Shelton is preparing to promote his new album. The album is titled "If I'm Honest." Shelton recently releases a new single from the album titled "Saviour's Shadow."
Watch an interview with Shelton where he describes his split from former wife Miranda Lambert: