Stuttering John Lawsuit: New York Claims and Federal Countersuit

The Stuttering John lawsuit is actually two lawsuits running in opposite directions. In August 2025, John Melendez, the former Howard Stern Show cast member and Tonight Show announcer known as Stuttering John, sued podcasters Karl Heberger and Shuli Egar in New York state court, accusing them of secretly recording his phone calls, mocking him at live events, and building a commercial act around his name and likeness. In June 2026, Egar and his associates hit back with a federal countersuit in Alabama, accusing Melendez of abusing YouTube’s copyright takedown system to silence their commentary and of defaming them on air.¹²

Who Is Suing Whom

Melendez filed his complaint on August 7, 2025, in New York County Supreme Court in Manhattan. The named defendants are Karl Heberger, who runs the podcast Who Are These Podcasts; Shuli Egar, a former Howard Stern Show staffer turned podcaster; The Shuli Network; and Who Are These Podcasts. The case is docketed as a general tort action under index number 160416/2025.³

The federal countersuit was filed on June 3, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. The plaintiffs there are Egar, Phillip Russo, and their company TSN Corp, which operates a YouTube show called The Uncle Rico Show. That case is docketed as 26-cv-00949, with Magistrate Judge Herman N. Johnson Jr. assigned.²

What Melendez Alleges in the New York Case

The complaint has two centers of gravity: private recordings and commercial use of Melendez’s persona.

Phone Calls With Kate Meaney

Melendez alleges that Heberger and Egar obtained recordings of private phone calls between him and comedian Kate Meaney. In those calls, according to the complaint, Melendez allegedly made “unsolicited advances” toward Meaney. He claims the recordings were made illegally and that the defendants teased excerpts on their podcasts and played them at live events to ridicule him.¹

Name, Likeness, and DabbleCon 2

Melendez also claims the defendants made his name and likeness the “centerpiece of their podcast and comedy act” for months, turning his persona into a commercial draw without permission. He invokes New York Civil Rights Law Section 51, which allows a person to sue for damages and an injunction when their name, portrait, likeness, or voice is used for advertising or trade purposes without written consent.⁴

The strangest allegation involves a live event called DabbleCon 2, held in August 2025 at The Carlson in Rochester, New York. According to the complaint, Heberger and Egar trespassed on Melendez’s Los Angeles property to retrieve cushions from a couch he had thrown away, then displayed the cushions as a “comedic exhibit” at the Rochester event, where attendees were encouraged to photograph and joke about them. Melendez says he was billed as the “main attraction” despite having no knowledge of or involvement in the event.¹

How the Podcasters Are Fighting Back

Heberger and Egar have dismissed the claims publicly. Heberger called the lawsuit “an asinine attempt at a money grab.” Egar called it “a sad attempt from a sad man to make money.”⁵

Their legal response has three prongs. They filed a motion to dismiss. They moved to transfer the case from Manhattan to Monroe County, arguing that New York County is an improper venue and that witnesses and evidence sit in the Rochester area.⁶ And they invoked New York’s Anti-SLAPP law, arguing that the lawsuit is designed to chill lawful speech about a public figure.⁷

The Federal Countersuit: Takedowns and Defamation

The Alabama complaint reframes the fight around Melendez’s own alleged conduct. Egar, Russo, and TSN Corp allege that Melendez knowingly submitted at least 27 false copyright takedown notices against their YouTube videos. According to the complaint, the videos used clips of Melendez’s show for commentary, criticism, and parody. The suit alleges Melendez admitted on his own broadcasts that the plaintiffs’ use qualified as fair use, yet exploited YouTube’s DMCA takedown process as a “loophole” to suppress criticism. YouTube ultimately restored all the affected videos after determining the content was non-infringing.²

The second set of claims sounds in defamation. The plaintiffs allege Melendez repeatedly referred to their network as “the pedo network” and falsely labeled Russo a “felon.”²

They are asking the court for a declaratory judgment that their content does not infringe Melendez’s copyrights, plus monetary damages, attorneys’ fees, and an injunction barring future false takedown notices. As of early June 2026, Melendez had not publicly responded.²

Where Each Case Stands

The New York case is the further along. In April 2026, Judge Vince Dinolfo granted an in-person conference to sort out procedural issues, including confusion over who represents Melendez. The suit was filed by attorney Tabber Benedict, but court records also show attorney Bennet Susser involved as a point of contact. Defense attorney Danny Cevallos told reporters that all pending motions were set to be fully submitted by May 14, 2026, with a decision expected roughly two months after that. No oral arguments were anticipated.⁷

The Alabama case is brand new. It was filed only days before this writing, and no scheduling orders or early rulings have issued.² The next milestones to watch are the New York court’s ruling on the motion to dismiss, the motion to transfer venue, and the Anti-SLAPP defense, all expected in the summer of 2026, followed by Melendez’s initial response to the federal complaint in Alabama.

1
New York Post. Stuttering John Suing Podcasters for Surreptitiously Recording His Voice and Mocking Him
2
Bloomberg Law. Ex-Howard Stern Performer Abuses YouTube IP Takedowns, Suit Says
3
Trellis Law. John Melendez v. Karl Heberger, Shauli Egar, Shuli Network, Who Are These Podcasts
4
FindLaw. New York Civil Rights Law Section 51
5
Inside Audio Marketing. Stuttering John Melendez Files Suit Against Podcasters Over Secret Recordings
6
Trellis Law. Affirmation in Support of Motion to Transfer Venue
7
KADN. Judge Grants Face-to-Face Conference in Former Howard Stern, Jay Leno Sidekick Stuttering John