A woman who appeared as a litigant on TV's "Judge Mathis" court show is suing Greg Mathis, Warner Bros and Telepictures claiming she was not informed about his current judicial status and was disparaged when Mathis referred to her as a hillbilly.
According to TMZ.com, Melody Burnham of San Diego says the show invited her to bring her lawsuit against a tenant to Mathis' court. The woman alleges producers never explained that Mathis was not a sitting judge in a real court.
Burnham's lawsuit, which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, also claims that when she appeared before Mathis, she was still kept in the dark about her case not being in a real court – despite the presence of television cameras, the show's crew and a green room. She also says she didn't figure out that it was a television show until more than a year later.
Additionally, Burnham alleges she was held hostage in a dressing room for six hours without food, and that she didn't know she was going to be countersued until minutes before the trial. She also says she was ridiculed by Mathis when he called her a "hillbilly" after pictures submitted into evidence showed her washing machine outside of her residence.
According to the lawsuit, Mathis dismissed the case, awarded damages to neither party, and stated: "I'm sending you hillbillies back to the hills.
A spokesperson for Telepictures Productions, the company that produces "Judge Mathis," tells TMZ: "We absolutely believe this case has absolutely no merit. Greg Mathis is a respected lawyer and former judge. The show, currently in its ninth season, follows strict procedures for case selection, releases and binding awards. All participants sign releases before appearing on the program and any allegations that this was not a real case are unfounded and fabricated. Judge Mathis' track record for advocacy and fairness to all speaks for itself."
