JUDGE JUDY

THE NO-NONSENSE TV JUDGE FACES A NEW LAWSUIT BROUGHT BY OLD FRIENDS

The feisty jurist finds herself under fire from the producers who first brought her show to television.

Judge Judy Sheindlin is usually the one calling the shots in the courtroom, but a new lawsuit has put the tough-talking justice in the hot seat. On Jan. 19, Kaye Switzer and the trust of the late Sandi Spreckman, two producers who were responsible for bringing Judge Judy to TV in 1996, filed suit against Judy, Big Ticket Television and CBS over syndication profits. “It all hinged on Judy raking in a whopping $95 millionplus for her back catalog of shows last August,” a source tells Closer. “Kaye, along with Sandi’s estate, believed they were being left high and dry by the deal.”

Judy, 75, is one of the highest-paid TV personalities, earning $47 million last year. After she agreed to sell the Judge Judy library to CBS, the lawsuits over money started rolling in. But Judy isn’t stressed about the outcome. “She believes the show became this monster success off the sweat of her own brow and the force of her personality,” says an insider. “Who is owed what is just background noise to her.”

While the insider notes Judy “was always fond” of Kaye and Sandi, the fact is they were fired by the show’s production company before Judge Judy ever made it on the air. What they’re fighting for now is the 5 percent of the $95 million library deal — $4.75 million — they claim their original contract gave them. “Judy still has warm feelings toward Kaye and the memory of Sandi,” the insider explains. “But she just doesn’t see this as her fight.”

So the woman famous for sayings like, “I’m the boss, Applesauce,” appears to be taking the lawsuit in stride. “Judy never entered a contract with Kaye and Sandi personally,” the source says. “Whatever piece of the pie the gals got was out of Judy’s hands.” In other words, it’s not for her to judge.

“The last time I saw the girls is when I testified on their behalf in a lawsuit,” Judy said in 2016. “I’ve had limited communication with them.”