Earlier this month a New Jersey federal court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Penguin and author Michael Capuzzo that alleged his 2010 book THE MURDER ROOM was negligent in recounting an extramarital affair. Significantly, as we’ll detail below, the judge accepted standard publishing process for relying on the author’s work and warranties and not performing detailed “fact-checking.” As we reported in March 2011, plaintiff Joan Crescenz sued for defamation claiming that a 30-year relationship with employer and forensic sculptor Frank Bender described in the book never happened. Crescenz also said the allegations violated her privacy and that she wasn’t […]
