Judge Judy is hit with a lawsuit that involves a divorce case of her show's producer, Randy Douthit, and a half million dollars worth of Christofle tableware. Douthit's estranged wife, Patrice Jones, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles on March 12, claiming Judy and Douthit entered into a fraudulent scheme to prevent Jones from obtaining the crockery in the divorce.

According to the suit, the sharp jurist, whose real name is Judy Sheindlin, only paid $50,815 for $514,421 worth of Christofle china and flatware. The purchase was apparently without Jones' consent, and Judy already knew the deal was revenge against her, Jones claimed. "As a former family law judge, she knew that California is a (community property) state and that a spouse cannot sell community property without the written consent of both spouses and certainly not at 10 cents on the dollar," Jones' lawyer, Perry Wander, said.

The lawsuit stated that "Sheindlin was not a bona fide purchaser for value" and "Sheindlin was willful and intended to cause injury to the plaintiff." In the suit, Jones also claimed that Douthit agreed to reduce his profit participation in the "Judge Judy" show so that he would avoid giving much money in the divorce settlement.

Commenting on the lawsuit, the 70-year-old TV personality said, "I have not seen any complaint by the former Mrs. Douthit, however, I don't owe this lady a cent. And if this 50-year-old woman would spend her time more productively at trying to find a job, instead of abusing the judicial system with frivolous lawsuits, we would all be a lot better off."