**Mario Lopez Responds After Defamation Lawsuit by Former NFL Cheerleader Dismissed**
*Published: October 3, 2025, 6:05 p.m. ET*
Mario Lopez has finally addressed the defamation lawsuit filed against him by former NFL cheerleader Desiree Townsend, RadarOnline.com can reveal — after a judge threw out the charges.
Townsend had been engaged in a months-long legal battle with the former *Saved By the Bell* star. The lawsuit stemmed from Lopez sharing and commenting on an old news story that questioned her mental health. Townsend filed suit against Lopez, his employer NBC, *Inside Edition*, and even the actor’s own legal team, demanding $150 million in damages.
From the beginning, Townsend claimed her reputation was severely damaged after Lopez, 51, shared an old *Inside Edition* story about her on Instagram. His caption read: “There’s gotta be some kind of award for this performance,” followed by the hashtags #MethodActor and #OscarWorthy.
Lopez maintained that his comments are protected by free speech and filed an anti-SLAPP motion. This motion is designed to quickly dismiss lawsuits that target public figures for exercising their free speech rights — and that is exactly what happened.
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### Lopez Calls Lawsuit ‘Ridiculous’
After months of silence, Lopez finally spoke about the case on his radio show, *On with Mario Lopez*, calling the whole ordeal “unusual.”
“It was an absolutely ridiculous lawsuit, but nonetheless, you kind of have to deal with it,” he said.
He gave a special shout-out to his defense team at the renowned law firm Geragos & Geragos and celebrated his legal win — notably without mentioning Townsend by name.
“A judge has officially thrown it out and rewarded me. Victory,” Lopez declared. “And now this person is responsible for my legal fees and hopefully out of our lives forever.”
His radio co-host and wife, Courtney Lopez, also chimed in, admitting the experience was stressful.
“It was stressful because it was just so unnecessary that we were even dealing with something like this,” she said.
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### Townsend Vows to Appeal
Despite the dismissal, Townsend told RadarOnline.com she plans to appeal and continue pursuing other legal avenues against Lopez.
“It’s on to the appellate courts now!” she announced. “This is where real change happens and where case law is shaped.”
Meanwhile, her immediate focus is on appealing the restraining order Lopez was granted against her, which mandates she stay at least 100 yards away from him and his family.
“One of the grounds for the appeal is that the anti-SLAPP motion was never properly heard, and Mario’s team presented no opposition evidence,” Townsend explained.
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### The Restraining Order and Recent Developments
The restraining order was issued after Townsend surprised Lopez at his home to serve him with legal papers. RadarOnline.com previously shared a video Townsend made while accompanying a process server to Lopez’s residence to deliver the defamation lawsuit.
In response, the *Access Hollywood* host filed for the restraining order, preventing Townsend from coming within 100 yards of him or his family.
Court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com reveal Lopez’s reasoning for the order:
“Mr. Lopez was harmed by the most recent harassment when Ms. Townsend arrived at his home on Father’s Day with a process server, causing chaos and fear for his young children and family members who witnessed the event.
She then escalated the harm by posting a video of the service on TikTok, exposing his family and home address to millions of viewers, placing them at risk of further harassment, public ridicule, and potential physical danger.”
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As the legal battle continues, both parties remain determined to pursue their respective claims in court.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
https://radaronline.com/p/mario-lopez-breaks-silence-flu-shot-cheerleader-defamation-lawsuit-charges-dismissed/
