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Word on when the Bubba The Love Sponge ratings tampering trial would start has been a mystery over the past week. It was originally scheduled to begin April 2 but was postponed. The new start date is June 18.

That's something we may never know, unless we can get someone to leak that figure to us. We reached out to Bubba for a comment but he did not respond. Whatever that figure was, it was big enough to make Nielsen happy and avoid a full blown public trial, which would have put many of the details about its methodology on trial as well. And that's something the ratings firm has always tried to avoid.

A one-page document was filed with the court yesterday by judge James Whittemore directed both sides back into mediation. Nielsen and Bubba's representatives must meet with the judge today to schedule that mediation.

For now the court has set Monday June 18 as opening day for the trial between Todd Clem (Bubba The Love Sponge) and Nielsen.  The trial was originally scheduled to begin April 2 but was postponed

As we reported last month, Judge James Whittemore has set Todd Clem’s ratings-tampering trial for the term that begins January 2, 2018. Two lead Nielsen attorney's have scheduling conflicts during those dates, with other jury trials, and are requesting judge push back the trial to the term that begins in February.

U.S. District Judge James Whittemore has set Todd Clem's ratings-tampering trial for the term in Tampa that begins January 2, 2018. The discovery cut-off date is August 10 and a pre-trial conference will be held December 8.

In a new court filing, Nielsen is asking the judge in Bubba The Love Sponge's alleged ratings tampering case to dismiss the shock-jock's claim that the ratings firm conspired with Cox Media Group to get him off the air. Nielsen says the counterclaim is nothing more than "wild and far-fetched accusations and should be dismissed as a blatant shotgun pleading." Nielsen says Bubba's counterclaim consists of page upon page of irrelevant factual allegations with the thinly-disguised purpose of slinging mud at Nielsen's reputation.

After we ran our story yesterday updating you on Bubba The Love Sponge's latest counter-claims against the ratings firm, we heard from Nielsen bright and early in the morning. Their statement was short and sweet:

In the back-and-forth battle between Bubba The Love Sponge and Nielsen, Bubba has filed a new counter-claim against the ratings firm over allegations he tampered with ratings. Bubba claims Cox demanded Nielsen pressure Beasley to fire in Tampa. And if Nielsen did not implement the "death penalty" sanction, Cox threatened to file a lawsuit against Nielsen, seek an MRC audit and Congressional inquiry into Nielsen’s PPM data collection adequacy.

And speaking of Bubba, in a 26-page court filing, the ratings firm defends one of its expert witnesses, David Haas, by calling Bubba The Love Sponge's claim that Haas' testimony should be disqualified "a straw man argument." Bubba wants Haas' testimony excluded from his ratings tampering case because he's never worked in, nor does he have expertise in, the radio or measurement industries.