Kelly Osbourne sued for defamation by Ozzy's ex-mistress
As Ozzy Osbourne went public Wednesday with his confession that he's in treatment for sex addiction, his former mistress, Michelle Pugh, was busy filing a defamation lawsuit against his daughter Kelly.
Pugh, a 45-year-old hair colorist with a celebrity clientele, is accusing Kelly Osbourne, 31, of disclosing private information (such as her private phone number) and infliction of emotional distress via social media, People and ABC News report.
Her lawyer, F. Edie Mermelstein, says she's "taking a stand against cyber harassment and bullying at the hands of Kelly Osbourne." Mermelstein did not immediately respond to Paste BN's request for comment.
Pugh and Mermelstein told People they sent Kelly a cease-and-desist letter in May after discovering a tweet instructing "anyone looking for cheap chunky LOW-lights, a blow out and (oral sex)" to call Pugh's number, which was included, but Osbourne didn't remove the tweet until almost a month afterward.
After filing the defamation suit, Mermelstein, told People that the former E! personality and Dancing With the Stars contestant harnessed her four million social media followers to "demean, degrade, comment (on) and harass" her client, who has lost business as a result.
"Since having her private blocked phone number publicly released," the suit says, "Plaintiff has had to obtain a new phone number and actively dispel false rumors of termination from her salon due to her relationship with Ozzy, as framed by Kelly."
Pugh, 45, also says Kelly labeled her four-year relationship with her now 67-year-old father "elder abuse" in a May tweet. "Not only had Plaintiff begun to be slut-shamed, bullied, and harassed for allegedly breaking up a marriage," her lawsuit read, "but was wrongfully accused of a crime that further held her up to ridicule, hate, and shame."
Ozzy and wife Sharon separated in mid-May after 33 years of marriage. But in late July, he said they were "back on track."
The rock veteran said in a statement issued Wednesday that Pugh "took our sexual relationship out of context" and apologized to her and the other women with which he had affairs.
Pugh says she's not looking for absolution but wants to put a stop to the what she calls "Scarlet Letter" treatment.
"I am not asking for anyone's approval, but the difference between someone's disapproval, and shaming and harassing publicly, that's verbal abuse," she told People. "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but you are not allowed to bully other people."