<p>Richard Simmons could end his self-imposed exile after more than four years, RadarOnline.com has learned, as his lawsuit against The National ENQUIRER heads to court Wednesday.</p><br /><p>Attorneys for Simmons, 69, and The ENQUIRER are expected in court in Los Angeles for a hearing to address The ENQUIRER’s Anti-Slapp motion.</p><br /><p>That motion, filed in July, disputes Simmons’ claim – made in his own civil complaint – that The ENQUIRER hurt his reputation by publishing articles that reported he was transitioning to a woman named Fiona.</p><br /><p>PHOTOS::Meet Fiona! See Richard Simmons’ New Female Identity Following Transition</a></p><br /><p>“Simmons has not, and cannot, make such allegations here,” The ENQUIRER wrote in the motion. “Statements that someone is transgender, or undergoing a gender transition, do not impute the kind of inherently shameful or odious characteristic that can support a defamation claim in modern times. Just as with false imputations of race or homosexuality, which once were considered defamatory, being referred to as ‘transgender’ cannot rationally be held by a court to impute negative characteristics.”</p><br /><p>“Indeed, Simmons cannot show the articles harmed him at all, given his pre-existing reputation for gender ambiguity, his well-publicized testing of the boundaries of gender classification, and his willingness to be depicted as a woman.”</p><br /><p>PHOTOS: Battling His Body: Richard Simmons Struggled With Pills, Bulimia Years Before Sex Change</a></p><br /><p>L.A. Superior Court judge Gregory Keosian must rule whether The ENQUIRER’s articles promoted free speech, and whether Simmons has the right to expect a certain measure of privacy despite his public status.</p><br /><p>The hearing begins at 9 am local time.</p><br /><p>Stay with OK! for the latest from court.</p><br /><p>The post Richard Simmons Out Of Hiding? Weight Guru Faces Court Date Tomorrow</a> appeared first on OK! Magazine</a>.</p><br />
