Judge dismisses defamation lawsuit against John Travolta

(REUTERS) - John Travolta has scored another legal victory with the dismissal of a defamation lawsuit filed by a Los Angeles man who wrote a book alleging he had gay encounters with the film star.

A judge in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday dismissed the defamation lawsuit against Travolta and his lawyer, Martin Singer, filed by Robert Randolph.

The author of You'll Never Spa In This Town Again, published in February 2012, claimed the actor and lawyer spread false statements about his mental health in 2010 in an effort to dissuade the public from buying his upcoming book, according to court documents.

Judge Malcolm Mackey on Thursday dismissed Randolph's defamation suit, which centered on a letter Singer wrote to the website Gawker.com in response to a story about the planned book. Court documents did not spell out the reason for the dismissal, but CNN reported the judge found, in part, that the letter has free speech protection under the law.