[PRESSWIRE] Los Angeles, United States – July 20, 2026 — Christina Taft, the woman recently declared a vexatious litigant by a Hawaii judge during a hearing involving a case she filed against prominent Black American journalist, newscaster and media personality Jovanti Thomas, has voluntarily dismissed her federal lawsuit against veteran Hollywood investigator Paul Barresi and former Johnny Depp attorney Adam Waldman.

The Hawaii ruling followed findings of what the court described as “a pattern” of frivolous discovery tactics. Taft’s federal lawsuit was dismissed voluntarily after nearly two years of explosive allegations that ultimately never reached the merits.

Throughout the litigation, Taft repeatedly invoked Academy Award-winning actress and Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly, weaving references to the Hollywood icon and her own family’s entertainment background into court filings as she accused Barresi and Waldman of operating what she described as a criminal enterprise connected to the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard litigation.

Months before the case was dismissed, Barresi’s attorneys had already urged the federal court to throw it out in its entirety.

In a November 2024 motion, attorneys Martin D. Singer and Melissa Y. Lerner argued that Taft’s complaint consisted of “incoherent, irrelevant, and nonsensical allegations,” “bizarre conspiracy theories” and legal conclusions rather than well-pleaded facts.

They asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, arguing that it was “factually implausible and legally defective.”

The motion further alleged that the federal lawsuit was only the latest chapter in what Barresi characterised as years of harassment.

His attorneys wrote that Taft had previously sought a restraining order against him that was denied, filed complaints with California’s Department of Consumer Affairs, contacted law enforcement agencies and repeatedly published accusations online in what they described as an effort to damage his reputation.

Barresi’s legal team made those allegations as part of its request to dismiss the federal case.

Barresi’s attorneys also argued that Taft’s sweeping conspiracy claims rested on her belief that Barresi, who had been retained by Amber Heard’s legal team during the Depp litigation, secretly worked as a “double agent” for Depp.

The motion described that theory as unsupported by any evidence and said the complaint arose from “this single delusional premise.”

Litigation Unravels in Hawaii

The litigation later unravelled in Hawaii.

During separate litigation in Hawaii against Jovanti Thomas, a prominent Black media personality and former television news anchor, Taft’s legal strategy came under intense scrutiny.

Taft had originally retained Thomas to investigate the conduct of Hollywood investigator Paul Barresi during the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard litigation. After Thomas reported that his investigation uncovered no evidence supporting Taft’s allegations, she sued him in Hawaii state court.

During those proceedings, Taft sought to subpoena the confidential telephone records of Angela Gayle Meader, a key federal witness expected to testify on Barresi’s behalf in Taft’s separate federal lawsuit against Barresi and former Depp attorney Adam Waldman.

Presiding Judge Bernard Lee questioned how Meader’s private telephone records had any relevance to Taft’s claims against Thomas.

When Taft failed to establish that connection, the court concluded that she was attempting to use one lawsuit to obtain confidential information for use in another.

Judge Lee cited what he described as a “pattern” of “frivolous discovery tactics” and declared Taft a vexatious litigant.

References to Grace Kelly

That ruling proved significant because, throughout her federal lawsuit against Barresi and Waldman, Taft repeatedly invoked Academy Award winner and Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly, attempting to place her own legal battle within a larger Hollywood narrative.

The House of Grimaldi closely protects Kelly’s name and likeness and oversees the commercial licensing and preservation of the late actress’s legacy.

The public record now reflects two sharply different stories.

Grace Kelly’s reputation rests on an Academy Award-winning career, decades of public service and careful stewardship by her family.

Taft, meanwhile, was declared a vexatious litigant after a Hawaii court found a pattern of frivolous discovery tactics. She later voluntarily dismissed her federal lawsuit accusing Barresi and Waldman of racketeering and other misconduct before any of those allegations were adjudicated or proven in court.

The federal filings, including Taft’s complaint and Barresi’s motion to dismiss, remain publicly available, as do Judge Lee’s Hawaii rulings documenting the conduct that led to Taft’s vexatious litigant designation.

Federal case number: 5:24-cv-01930-TJH-DTB

Federal court documents:
https://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/cacdce/5:2024cv01930/940654/111