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‘Dance Moms’ Lawsuit Goes Forward, But Defamation Claim Gets Dropped

Two Dance Moms co-stars are currently locked in a bitter feud, and it looks like the matter will only escalate from here. Dance Moms star Kelly Hyland filed a lawsuit against cast-mate Abby Lee Miller...
‘Dance Moms’ Lawsuit Goes Forward, But Defamation Claim Gets Dropped
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  • Two Dance Moms co-stars are currently locked in a bitter feud, and it looks like the matter will only escalate from here.

    Dance Moms star Kelly Hyland filed a lawsuit against cast-mate Abby Lee Miller.

    Hyland claims that Miller is verbally abusive towards her students and tends to body shame them.

    According to RadarOnline, Miller is also accused of forcing the girls to practice 60 hours per week.

    The most extreme allegation is that the dance mom went so far as to throw a chair at a student she was unhappy with.

    According to Hyland, her daughter Paige suffered a series of panic attacks due to being constantly reprimanded by Miller.

    Paige Hyland is apparently a plaintiff in the ongoing lawsuit against her former coach. Her mother Kelly is also suing, claiming that Miller defamed her by implying that she physically assaulted her. Unfortunately for Kelly, there is video footage to back up such a claim.

    The lawyers for the 13-year-old weren’t necessarily as hard on Abby Lee Miller as one might expect, blaming Miller’s alleged behavior on a surprising source: the Dance Mom producers.

    The lawyers believe that “in an effort to attract ratings and viewership”, the producers actively “encourage and facilitate the conflicts” that take place between Miller and her students and or their mothers.

    After all, nothing says “drama” quite like screaming, fighting, and onscreen meltdowns.

    There was concern recently that the Hyland lawsuit was going to be completely thrown out.

    Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ruth Kwan made the decision to throw out the defamation and infliction of emotional distress claims were baseless.

    Miller’s comments were found to be subjective rather than defamatory, which isn’t enough justification for a suit.

    The judge also felt that since there was no psychological tests or reports to validate claims of emotional distress or abuse, there was not enough evidence to substantiate such a claim.

    The loss of these two key parts of the lawsuit led some to believe Kwan would throw out the case altogether.

    In the end, the judge decided to let the case move forward.

    Do you think Kelly Hyland has a chance with such important aspects of her case getting tossed out?

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