VAN NUYS – Having already received authority to serve a deposition subpoena on Meta Platforms Inc., attorneys for a woman who appears on “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” are asking a judge for a broader order as they try to uncover the people behind the false Instagram accounts used to send racist messages to her costar’s teen son.
Diana Jenkins’ lawyers are trying to assure fans that she did not pay for bots to harass Garcelle Beauvais’ offspring. Jenkins and Beauvais have had ongoing squabbles.
Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Virginia Keeny issued the subpoena on Sept. 20. But in court papers filed Friday, Jenkins’ lawyers state that the information obtained from Meta — formerly known as Facebook Inc. — may only provide clues about the perpetrator’s identity.
“To that end … Ms. Jenkins is submitting a broader, yet still limited, proposed order so that, if needed, she may serve deposition subpoenas for business records on one or more additional non-parties,” Jenkins’ lawyers state in their court papers. “It also makes clear that Ms. Jenkins will not seek the contents of communication.”
Given that the proposed order is not too sweeping and authorizes further non-party discovery only if Jenkins does not receive adequate information to identify the culprit from Meta, good cause exists for the judge to enter the more comprehensive proposed order, the attorneys argue.
The judge is scheduled to hold a hearing on the request Wednesday.
Jenkins filed the suit Sept. 8, identifying the defendants only as John Doe and Roes 1-50.
“Bad people do bad things,” the suit states. “It is wrong to send racist and bullying messages to a 14-year-old boy. It is wrong to deceive the public into believing an innocent woman is responsible for sending those messages. And it is wrong to mastermind this hateful campaign in anonymity.”
Although intense exchanges between Jenkins and Beauvais at times have spilled onto social media, the interactions have remained professional and respectful, according to the suit.
