Lawsuit compares Mortenson's 'Three Cups of Tea' to discredited Frey memoir The USA Times

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Lawsuit compares Mortenson's 'Three Cups of Tea' to discredited Frey memoir

HELENA, Mont. - Greg Mortenson has asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit that accuses him of defrauding readers in his bestselling "Three Cups of Tea."

The Montana humanitarian's attorney says the lawsuit would subject other authors to expensive claims and stifle the free exchange of ideas.

The attorneys who filed the lawsuit argue that it should go forward because of a famous precedent. They say in court documents filed Tuesday that Mortenson's case is "nearly identical" to the class-action lawsuit against James Frey.

Frey admitted six years ago on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that he lied in his memoir, "A Million Little Pieces."

That lawsuit ended in a settlement that offered refunds to buyers of the book.

U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon has not yet set a hearing on Mortenson's request.