Naomi Judd's husband, Larry Strickland, and her two daughters, Ashley and Wynonna Judd, filed a lawsuit against Williamson County, TN and its sheriff on Friday (August 12th) to prevent the release of records related to Naomi's suicide. According to Nashville CBS affiliate WTVF, the family issued a statement which reads, “Our family continues to grieve together privately, in unity and community, recognizing our mother's beauty and talents as a gift to the world. There has been misinformation circulated as we continue to mourn and we lament that. We ask news organizations only to cover facts . . . “
The statement continues, “As we recognize other families struggling as a loved one faces mental health crises, we encourage them to seek help through NAMI: The National Alliance on Mental Illness available 24 hours a day at 800-950-6264.”
The family's attorney, J. Michael Shipman II, wrote in the suit, “(The Judds) will suffer significant trauma and irreparable harm in the form of emotional distress, pain and mental anguish should these records be released. Moreover, the release of these records would continue to cause the entire family personal and public pain for years to come as they would undoubtedly live in perpetuity on the internet.”
The family's suit requests a temporary injunction to stop the release of any records. A final ruling will be decided when the case is heard in Williamson County Chancery Court on September 12th.
Naomi died in April of this year at the age of 76 after a long battle with depression.