Happy Monday, I’m Eriq Gardner.

Welcome back to The Rainmaker, a private email about money, power, fame, and the law.

This week, I’ve got a report about a just-filed Judge Judy defamation lawsuit that targets a media company that screwed up in spectacular fashion, complete with a call-out to Donald Trump’s criminal trial. That’s a lot, I know. (P.S. If this email somehow found its way to you, sign up here to continue receiving this newsletter. Or, better yet, subscribe to Puck.)

Today’s email also highlights other media organizations on the ropes—the Associated Press, for paying photographers embedded with Hamas on October 7, and U.S. News & World Report, which is fighting a subpoena over its hospitals ranking. Finally, I’ll address the latest developments in a wild trial over Elon Musk’s supposedly autonomous vehicles. Why aren’t reporters covering this one?

But first, let’s talk about TikTok’s legal predicament…