Eminem Suffers a Blow In Legal Battle with ‘RHOP’ Stars Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon

On Thursday, the United States Patent and Trademark Office denied Gizelle and Robyn’s motion to force Eminem to sit for a deposition at this time, but agreed that the rapper should be deposed in the near future, per Radar Online. 

Eminem’s motion requesting a protective order, which would’ve allowed him to avoid the depo, was denied by the board. 

In February 2023, the musician tried to legally shut down the Bravo stars’ trademark application, citing potential public “confusion” between their podcast and future “Reasonably Shady” merchandise line and his brand, Slim Shady. He noted that he had used the moniker “Slim Shady” and “Shady” since 1996, and had poured time, money and effort into promoting the name and brand. He also owns the trademark for both his merch and his music.

Eminem, whose birth name is Marshall Mathers, also claimed that his brand would be “damaged” if the trademark was issued. He cited potential “confusion in trade resulting in damage and injury.” 

He accused the reality stars of trying to cash in on his hard work. 

“[Robyn & Gizelle’s] mark REASONABLY SHADY, simply looks and sounds like SHADY and suggests that it represents the services of Mathers,” Eminem’s lawyer wrote. “REASONABLY SHADY so resembles Opposer’s mark SLIM SHADY, SHADY and the mark SHADY LIMITED in terms of appearance, sound and commercial impression as to be likely, when applied to [Robyn & Gizelle’s] goods, to cause confusion and mistake and to deceive.”

Gizelle and Robyn responded by repeating that their “Reasonably Shady” mark is not confusing to the public nor does it point to any involvement from Eminem. They dismissed the idea that “Reasonably Shady” was “identical” to Eminem’s “Shady” brand at the start of the legal skirmish. 

The duo filed a motion demanding that the rapper sit for a deposition. Eminem contended that such an appearance would be “highly burdensome” and suggested that his manager, Paul Rosenberg, attend in his place.  

Eminem’s attorney said— “It would be unduly burdensome for Mathers to attend a deposition … because he is presently engaged on projects which require his attendance continuously for the next several months.”

Robyn and Gizelle’s lawyer fired back — “An assertion of Mr. Mathers being too busy will not be enough to avoid having to sit for a deposition. As [Robyn and Gizelle], both celebrities in their own right, have provided the courtesy of sitting for deposition for [Eminem], it is not overly burdensome for [Eminem] to extend the same courtesy for his obligation.”

The board’s recent ruling read — “Upon a careful review of the record and considering all the relevant facts, the Board finds that [Eminem] has not demonstrated good cause exists for a protective order prohibiting [Robyn and Gizelle] from deposing him.”

“While it may be true that Mr. Rosenberg has more knowledge of facts relevant to the claims herein, Mr. Rosenberg is a third-party to this proceeding. [Eminem] does not assert that [he] lacks any personal knowledge relevant to the claims hereinor that his deposition would not lead to the discovery of admissible evidence.”

The government agency determined that “the fact that [Eminem’s] deposition testimony may overlap with that of Mr. Rosenberg (or any other third-party witness) insufficient to preclude Mathers’ deposition, particularly considering he is the only party witness for Opposer.”

The board also found that Eminem had failed to support his claim that a personal appearance would be “unduly burdensome.”

“[Eminem] fails to provide any detail regarding the asserted projects, their nature, duration or manner in which they render his appearance at a deposition unduly burdensome. If, as [Eminem] contends, he has little knowledge relevant to the issues in the case, the deposition should be relatively short.”

A date for the upcoming deposition has yet to be determined. 

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Avigail is an Entertainment blogger at All About The Tea, who specializes in The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac. Avigail has a background in marketing. She’s a Brooklynite living in the Bahamas, with a passion for travel, writing, reality TV watching, pop culture and spoken word.