Palin Lawyers Warn Publisher of ‘The Rogue’ Not to Destroy Documents Ahead of Possible Lawsuit
By Doug Powers • September 26, 2011 10:46 PM **Written by Doug Powers
Last summer, as you know, author Joe McGinniss earned his place in the annals of literary stalkers by moving in next door to the Palin family, ostensibly to “research” a book. Well, that book is now out, and so far it has the makings of what could end up as an expensive disaster for author and publisher:
Attorneys representing former Alaska governor Sarah Palin have written to Crown Publishing, a division of Random House, serving notice of possible litigation for defamation in connection with Joe McGinniss’s recent anti-Palin biography, and warning the company not to delete or destroy relevant documents.
The letter (see below) reads, in part:
Enclosed is an e-mail by your author Joe McGinniss. In this e-mail, Mr. McGinniss admits that your own lawyers instructed him that “nothing I can cite other than my own reporting rises above the level of tawdry gossip.”….Indeed, Mr. McGinniss admits that the allegations are false unless he can find someone or something to show they are true. We know from the final book that he was unable to do so.
It is malicious for your company to publish a book wherein it, and the author, admit that they were fully aware the statements in the book were false, intended to be false, and were intended to harm…
The rest of the text including a copy of the letter is at Big Government.
Over the weekend McGinniss was reportedly complaining that even outlets like Olbermann, Maddow and NPR are canceling his scheduled appearances or refusing to have him on at all. The above might offer a clue as to why. Not many media suits right now are going to want to take part in helping push a bombing book that could end up as an expensive and/or embarrassing legal headache.
**Written by Doug Powers
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