Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesIt appears that Gloria Allred can go back to playing offense now.
A judge said today that there is "no possibility" that attorney Okorie Okorocha will be able to prove his claim that Allred solicited two of his clients—namely, the masseurs who accused John Travolta of sexual battery. (They have since dropped their lawsuit against the actor.)
Allred had vigorously denied poaching the pair, who ultimately weighed in on the matter in their new lawyer's defense.
"John Truesdale (John Doe 2) has submitted a declaration stating that he contacted Allred 'without any solicitation of any kind by that firm, or from attorney Gloria Allred' because he was unhappy with Okorocha's services," L.A. Superior Court Judge Michael Linfield wrote in his decision, which tentatively granted Allred's petition to quash the suit.
"Specifically," Linfield added, "Truesdale claims that he first contacted Allred on May 16, 2012, and left a message. Several hours later, Allred returned his call and after this point, Truesdale formally hired Allred."
He concluded: "Since Okorocha's claims are premised upon activities protected by the litigation privilege, there is no possibility that Okorocha can prevail on his claim."
A formal hearing on the matter is still scheduled for tomorrow. When the suit was first filed, Allred vowed to countersue Okorocha for defamation.
Since Truesdale and his still-anonymous former coplaintiff dropped their suits, prompting Travolta's attorney to declare his client "completely vindicated" on their end, there has been nary a peep from their corner.
Another lawsuit was filed against Travolta, however, this week by a former Royal Caribbean employee who claims the Savages star exposed himself and uncomfortably embraced him during a cruise back in 2009.
Attorney Marty Singer called the new complaint against Travolta "another ludicrous lawsuit."
UPDATE: Former John Doe attorney Okorie Okorocha did not appear in court Friday afternoon in his suit against Allred. Regardless, L.A. Superior Court Judge Michael Linfield officially dismissed the suit.
"Today the court granted our motion to summarily dismiss the legally and factually baseless lawsuit filed by Okorie Okorocha. We feel that this decision and our victory today validates our position that neither I nor any person in my law firm, Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, interfered with the attorney-client relationship that our client Mr. Truesdale previously had with Mr. Okorocha," Allred tells E! News.
—Reporting by Baker Machado