Judge Joe Brown Threatens To Sue After Rumors Of Connection To Sheryl Lee Ralph Story

Judge Joe Brown is not amused by the speculations about his involvement in Sheryl Lee Ralph's assault case!

James Blakeney Brown Jr., a former lawyer turned TV personality, is best known for starring on the  arbitration-based reality court show, "Judge Joe Brown." Given his job, the 75-year-old does not run in the same circles as other celebrities.

However, after the "Moesha" actress's shocking revelation, fans put on their detective shoes in search of the suspect in the alleged abuse. Many concluded that the Washington native was guilty, causing the father-of-two to fire back.

As a former Criminal Court judge in Shelby County, the TV personality's battles did not extend outside the law. However, in light of Ralph's assault story, the 75-year-old has been dragged to the wrong side of the bench.

Instead of letting the internet run wild with claims about his character, the "Hot Topics With Judge Joe" star voiced his grievances on Twitter. Brown's side of the story came nearly a week after the Emmy winner dropped her abuse tale.

"False rumors're being spread that I mistreated a certain lady ≈ 25 yrs ago. I categorically deny both the accusations & acquaintance with the lady," the former judge penned.

Standing firm about his innocence, the Washington native threatened to file a lawsuit if his name continued to be cited in Ralph's case. "Those rumors started with certain identified parties & spread. They ought 'Cease & Desist' or contemplate a Defamation Action," the father-of-two warned.

As shared by VIBE, Brown, who is running to be a Memphis mayor, announced in a different interview that he was willing to involve his legal team in a defamation lawsuit as the ongoing speculations were detrimental to his name.

"When they put my face next to hers, that becomes innuendo. That's very destructive to my reputation," the judge-turned-politician claimed. The media personality noted that the accusations were unfounded, given his history of fighting for women's rights.

"Not only do I have a long track record ensuring that women get justice when they been done wrong," the former lawyer continued. "My motto for the last half century is 'protecting womanhood and promoting manhood' and [sic] those who don't seem to like it."

The Independent candidate for the 2023 Memphis mayoral election stated that he had never met the "Dreamgirls" star, which he noted had also not implicated him in her story. In the politician's words:

"So far, she hasn't said anything that implicates me [but] the fact of the matter is I don't know this woman, never met this woman, certainly haven't had any kind of contact with her."

If the duo had no connection, as Brown claimed, why did these rumors start? Fans suspected the Washington native as Ralph's assailant because the pair had ties to the same organization.

The CBS production company, Big Ticket Entertainment, produced Ralph's 90s sitcom "Moesha" and Brown's eponymous court show. This relationship made the former TV judge the possible abuser in the Delta Sigma Theta honorary member's story.

Ralph first shared the revelation that she was assaulted by a "famous TV Judge" at a work event during an appearance on the "Way Up With Angela Yee" podcast last week.

According to the Independent Spirit Award winner, her assailant forcefully kissed her before their peers. "This man walked in, grabbed me by the back of my neck, turned me around, and rammed his nasty-a** tongue down my throat, and everybody at the network saw it," the Connecticut native recalled.

The mother-of-two explained that she was dressed appropriately for the event and had no affiliation with her assailant except for working on the same network. However, the Broadway star refused to disclose the man's name and when the incident occurred.

Despite keeping these key details hidden, the entertainer stressed that her abuser was not Judge Greg Mathis, whom she described as a "great man." Surprisingly, getting attacked in a room full of people did not mean the 66-year-old had vital witnesses to support her story.

Ralph claimed that the network prioritized their image over her pain, allegedly imploring the 66-year-old not to report the incident to avoid "bad press." Recalling the sad memory, the TV personality said: "They did not want any bad press around their show and did not care what just happened to me."