The Untold Truth Of The People's Court

Publish date: 2024-05-14

Rex Ravelle was best known for winning the 1951 edition of the Mr. America bodybuilding competition. During the 1980s, however, he made headlines by being one of three people to sue "The People's Court" — and the first to win.

According to a report from the Los Angeles Daily News (via the Spokesman-Review), Ravelle appeared on the show to settle a dispute with a former tenant, claiming she owed him $2,000 in unpaid rent. While Ravelle felt he had an open-and-shut case, he claimed the instructions he was given to "project my voice and assert myself" during filming made him come across as a bully, while the female defendant appeared soft-spoken and meek. "This obvious ploy clearly established me as the big, macho villain," Ravelle complained after Wapner ruled in the defendant's favor.

He sued the show's production company for $1 million, eschewing legal counsel by representing himself. "Apparently my witness's testimony did not fit in the prejudged scenario by the producers of the show," Ravelle wrote in a letter he sent to producers. Ultimately, Ravelle's case never went to trial; instead, he dropped his suit in exchange for accepting a $2,500 settlement from Ralph Edwards Productions, which produced the show. However, Ravelle was adamant that had he pursued his lawsuit, he would have emerged victorious. "I had a good case, I could have pursued it against them," he insisted.

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