Judge Joel M. Cohen approved the joint request by former Foundry Media partners Yfat Reiss Gendell and Peter McGuigan to send their dispute to the court’s non-binding Alternative Dispute Resolution mediation program. If the mediation fails to resolve the matter, the parties will appear back before Judge Cohen for a conference on February 15. In the meantime, as requested, the discovery and motion schedule was extended, pending the results of the mediation.
Legal
UK Judge Allows Ambramovich’s Libel Suit Against Harper to Move Forward
Last week UK High Court Mrs Justice Tipples made a preliminary ruling that allows Roman Abramovich’s libel lawsuit against HarperCollins and author Catherine Belton over the book PUTIN’S PEOPLE to proceed to trial. The judgment was limited to analysis of “the meaning of the passages” that Abramovich’s alleges are libelous, to “determine the impression that would have been conveyed to the ordinary reasonable reader.” Mrs Justice Tipples found that the book asserts “the claimant is under the control of President Vladimir Putin and, on the directions of President Putin and the Kremlin, he has had to make the fortune from […]
Former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper Sues DoD for “Improperly” Redacting His Memoir
Former Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper sued the Department of Defense in a Washington, DC District Court for “improperly” blocking parts of his memoir, A Sacred Oath, an account of his time working for President Trump. William Morrow has the book scheduled for publication on May 10, 2022. Esper is the latest in a line of former DOD officials — including retired General Stanley McChrystal and retired Navy Commander Guy Snodgrass — to claim that his pre-publication review was taking an unusually long time,. “He stayed in regular contact to ensure a timely review was occurring and requested specific deadlines for the […]
Publishers Say Internet Archive Is “Stonewalling,” Ask Court to Compel Discovery
With fact discovery in the copyright infringement lawsuit brought by major publishers against the Internet Archive set to end on December 17, the publishers have complained to Judge John Koeltl that the IA “is stonewalling, hoping to run out the clock.” They asked for a conference to have the judge compel production of missing documents. The attorney writes, “IA has not disputed the relevance of the documents. Instead, IA is simply stonewalling, prejudicing plaintiffs in depositions and case development.” The letter outlines seven categories of documents they are still looking for, saying they “waited several weeks or more for IA […]
Gendell and McGuigan Pursue Mediation
The complicated and long-running legal dispute between former Foundry Media partners Yfat Reiss Gendell and Peter McGuigan may be headed towards resolution. Attorneys for both parties filed a letter asking Judge Joel M. Cohen to extend the current dates for discovery (set to end in February 2022), “to pursue mediation and settlement discussions in the Commercial Division Alternative Dispute Resolution Program.” That process “is basically a mediation program” run by the Court, though ultimately “settlement…is purely voluntary.” Gendell had asked the Court to refer the matter to mediation in May, though at the time McGuigan declined.
Chelsea Green Sues Elizabeth Warren For “First Amendment Violation”
Vermont publisher Chelsea Green filed a federal lawsuit in a Washington District Court against Senator Elizabeth Warren, claiming she violated the First Amendment in a September 7 letter to Amazon ceo Andy Jassy cautioning the retailer about the role of their algorithm in promoting vaccine conspiracy books. The publisher was joined in the suit by authors of The Truth About COVID-19: Exposing the Great Reset, Lockdowns, Vaccine Passports, and the New Normal Dr. Joseph Mercola, Ronald Cummins, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. In her letter, Warren referred to the book as “vaccine misinformation” and “potentially unlawful.” Warren’s letter was prompted by a […]