LOS ANGELES — A judge has denied Danny Elfman’s motion to dismiss a pianist’s defamation lawsuit against the “Beetlejuice” composer, in which the plaintiff disputed Elfman’s arguments that her case infringes on his First Amendment rights.

Nomi Abadi’s Los Angeles Superior Court complaint against Elfman pertains to remarks he made during a July 2023 Rolling Stone interview. Elfman’s denials of Abadi’s allegations of repeated sexual harassment and misconduct were included in an investigative piece about a settlement he made with his former mentee.

In a tentative ruling issued earlier this month in advance of a hearing on Elfman’s dismissal motion, Judge Gail Killefer said she was leaning toward denying Elfman’s anti-SLAPP motion, which cites the litigation privilege. The state’s anti-SLAPP -- Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation -- law is intended to prevent people from using courts, and potential threats of a lawsuit, to intimidate those who are exercising their First Amendment rights.

The judge heard arguments Dec. 13 and took the case under submission, then issued her final ruling Tuesday finalizing her tentative ruling rejecting Elfman’s free-speech argument.

“By authorizing Rolling Stone to publish statements attributed to Elfman ... (he) sought to shield his actions from liability by hiding behind the litigation privilege,” the judge wrote in her tentative ruling, adding that she was finding that the litigation privilege does not apply to the statements published in the article.

Killefer scheduled a case management conference for Jan. 24.

The 71-year-old Elfman is represented by attorney Camille M. Vasquez, who was Johnny Depp’s lawyer in his dueling litigation with former spouse Amber Heard.

“The motion should be granted and this harassing and outrageous complaint dismissed,” Vasquez argued in her court papers in favor of the anti- SLAPP motion.

But in court papers previously filed, Abadi states in a sworn declaration that her claims are well-founded.

“My five years of hard work building a career in film composing has been destroyed as a result of Mr. Elfman’s blatantly false statements about me in the Rolling Stone article,” Abadi says. “His actions have forced me to abandon my dreams of film scoring to pursue other opportunities.”

Abadi, who contends Elfman had a fetish about nudity that included driving without clothing, says she suffers from severe emotional distress.

“I have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression and the humiliation, stress and fear for my personal safety have compounded these feelings, which collectively have had a profoundly negative impact on my personal life,” Abadi further contends.

Abadi’s application to the Association of Women Film Composers mentorship program was denied with no explanation after the publication of the magazine article, according to the plaintiff, who further maintains that exclusion from the program resulted in the loss for her of more composing opportunities.