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Shelton seeks dismissal of defamation case against In Touch

FILE - This June 7, 2016 file photo shows Blake Shelton performing at the 12th Annual Stars for Second Harvest Benefit at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. Lawyers for Shelton and In Touch magazine asked a federal judge in Los Angeles, Thursday, April 13, 2017, to dismiss the country star's defamation lawsuit against the tabloid over a 2015 cover story that declared he was headed to rehab. No settlement details were included, but Shelton has denied the allegations in the story and won an early court ruling that kept the case alive. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File) FILE - This June 7, 2016 file photo shows Blake Shelton performing at the 12th Annual Stars for Second Harvest Benefit at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. Lawyers for Shelton and In Touch magazine asked a federal judge in Los Angeles, Thursday, April 13, 2017, to dismiss the country star's defamation lawsuit against the tabloid over a 2015 cover story that declared he was headed to rehab. No settlement details were included, but Shelton has denied the allegations in the story and won an early court ruling that kept the case alive. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

By Associated Press April 13, 2017 1 min read

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Lawyers for Blake Shelton and In Touch magazine have asked a judge to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by the country music star over a magazine cover that declared he was headed to rehab.

The filing Thursday in a Los Angeles federal court does not include any details of a settlement.

It says both sides will pay their own costs of the litigation.

Lawyers for Shelton and In Touch and its parent company Bauer Publishing Co. did not immediately return telephone and emailed messages seeking comment.

Shelton sued the tabloid over a September 2015 cover story it published that declared “Rehab for Blake” and included several anecdotes of the singer’s alleged drunken antics.

Shelton denied the incidents occurred.

He won an early court ruling that allowed the case to proceed.