Do media organizations have the right to write what they want when they want about people we consider celebrities without the fear of any reprisal?

That’s the issue at the heart of the litigation detailed in the story below from today’s news.

Fitness Guru Richard Simmons is demanding damages from companies he blames for stories he claims have defamed him.

If he wins, I’m thinking it’s likely this will only be the first of many other lawsuits from celebrities to follow.

That’s the way I see it.

(Los Angeles, CA) — Richard Simmons is suing the “National Enquirer” and “Radar Online” for what he says are “cruel and malicious” stories about a supposed sex change he’s undergoing. In a libel lawsuit filed Monday, the fitness icon denies that he’s transitioning from male to female and says while he doesn’t have a problem with people who do, the story’s just not true. American Media, the company that owns both outlets, argues that Simmons has no right to privacy in this case because he makes a living from being a celebrity.