TV shrink Dr. Phil says in a lawsuit filed in a Palm Beach County circuit court this week that he’s been harassed for years by the National Enquirer and its sister publications, and he is asking the court to award him $250 million in damages.
The 42-page complaint, which names the Enquirer‘s parent company American Media Inc. as defendant, was also filed on behalf of the daytime TV star’s wife, Robin McGraw.
It accuses AMI of decades of portraying the McGraws in a negative light, “the antithesis of the various causes they have spent their lives supporting.”
The Boca Raton-based AMI, which also publishes Star magazine and the online tabloid RadarOnline, has yet to be served and name a lawyer to defend itself.
The complaint for libel and misappropriation of Dr. Phil’s name and likeness includes page after page of Dr. Phil achievements from the time he completed his clinical psychology internship in Waco, Texas, more than 40 years ago.
The complaint points at the TV show Dr. Phil‘s 28 Emmy nominations and the man Dr. Phil’s 2015 induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. It also mentions his relationship with President Barack Obama and the First Lady, and his numerous New Y9rk Times bestsellers.
