A court hearing in a civil lawsuit filed against Casey Anthony was held Thursday in Orange County.
Zenaida Gonzalez, who shares the same name as a fictitious baby sitter that Anthony claimed kidnapped her daughter in 2008, is suing Anthony for defamation.
Gonzalez claims Anthony ruined her reputation and caused her to lose her job and home.
In July, Anthony was found not guilty of murder in the death of Caylee, but she was convicted for lying to law enforcement officials. Anthony is appealing the conviction.
Gonzalez’s attorneys want a judge to order Anthony to answer questions about what she told investigators, her family and friends shortly after her daughter, Caylee, was reported missing. In October, Anthony used her right against self-incrimination 60 times during a video deposition that was recorded at a secret location.
The judge, who will rule on the matter at a later time, will have to determine which right — Anthony’s right to plead the Fifth or Gonzalez’s right to sue — takes precedence.
“The Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination is a constitutional privilege and one of our most sacred rights in the United States,” Anthony’s attorney said. “Miss Anthony is not asking for special treatment.”
The trial is scheduled to start in April.
Anthony is also being sued by the group Texas Equusearch, which helped look for Caylee after she was reported missing. The group is trying to recoup some of the costs it incurred.
Anthony, 26, remains on probation at an undisclosed Florida location on unrelated check fraud charges.
Caylee’s body was found in December 2008, about five months after she was reported missing.
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