‘Dance Moms’ Lawsuit Dismissed: Hyland Assault Claims Against Abby Lee Miller Tossed In Court Case
A Dance Moms lawsuit filed against Abby Lee Miller by Kelly Hyland and family has hit a new snag. Fans of the show will never forget the vicious fight that Kelly and Abby had that paved the way to the family leaving the show for good. Kelly Hyland faced criminal charges over the incident and she, in turn, filed two different suits amid allegations of negligence, breach-of-contract, assault, defamation, and emotional distress.
Judge Ruth Kwan had already dealt the Hylands a blow last fall when the allegations of emotional distress and defamation in one complaint filed on behalf of Paige were tossed out. The Hylands still had allegations of assault by Abby toward Paige in play. Now, though, Judge Kwan has ruled on the abuse allegations as well, according to Deadline.
Ultimately, Judge Kwan determined that after watching relevant Dance Moms footage, she didn’t see any evidence that Abby Lee Miller attacked Paige Hyland. The complaint detailed a number of examples of how the situation with the show had caused Paige emotional distress. One specific allegation noted that Miller had thrown a chair toward Paige at one point, but the judge said that the family stayed with the show for a year after that incident and she didn’t believe that Paige was truly afraid of Abby.
Despite the two rulings from Judge Kwan that effectively shut down this complaint, The Hollywood Reporter indicates that Hyland’s lawyers may file an appeal. In addition, the earlier case filed related to breach-of-contract allegations is still moving forward.
In terms of the criminal case against Kelly Hyland, that was resolved in court in April. As was previously reported by the Inquisitr, the charges against the former Dance Moms star were dismissed pending the completion of some counseling. Kelly needs to stay away from Abby for six months, and at this point, everything essentially should be resolved on the criminal case front.
The fight between Kelly and Abby that led to all of the courtroom drama took place in November of 2013 when the two women argued over Brooke. They shouted at one another and when Abby got into Kelly’s face, Kelly reached out and pulled Abby’s hair. The police were called and the Hylands were never on the show again. Many fans still miss Brooke and Paige, along with their good friend and fellow Dance Moms star Chloe Lukasiak, who left not long after the Hylands.
The show will be back for season 6 and the rest of season 5 is currently airing on Lifetime on Tuesday nights. Many fans are anxiously waiting to see if there will be any further cast changes heading into the next season, though at this point nothing has been confirmed.
Whether Kelly Hyland’s other complaint claims will progress in her favor remains to be seen. There are still other components working their way through the system, but this latest ruling by the judge definitely is a setback for the former Dance Moms stars and a win for Abby Lee Miller.
[Image via IB Times]
