E-Mail Puts N.Y. Times Publisher in Deposition Seat
Add another well-known name to the list of those unhappy about e-mail communications. Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of the New York Times, is going to have to testify in a defamation suit filed in New Jersey against one of the newspaper’s reporters by Donald Trump, over a book the reporter wrote about the real estate mogul.
While Sulzberger apparently didn’t do anything wrong, and the suit doesn’t name him or the newspaper as a defendant, only the book’s publisher and author, Sulzberger tried to avoid giving a deposition. However, the New York Supreme Court ruled that he has to show for it and discuss an e-mail exchange with the author, Timothy O’Brien, and a 2005 lunch at which he, the reporter and Trump were present, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Among Trump’s complaints: O’Brien’s book portrays him as a mere millionaire, hurting his “brand and reputation” as a fabled billionaire, the newspaper writes. O’Brien has said the book is accurate.
Sulzberger apparently landed in the middle of the litigation battle by e-mailing O’Brien about his Trump biography, TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald, according to the article. In response, O’Brien reportedly wrote about how he expected Trump to react to the book.
When deposing Sulzberger, plaintiffs lawyers are seeking evidence that O’Brien had actual malice against Trump when he wrote the book, according to attorney William Tambussi, who represents Trump. He is with Brown & Connery.
Additional coverage:
Bloomberg: “Times’s Sulzberger Must Testify in Trump Libel Case, Judge Says “
New York Post: “Trump Suit Pinches Publisher”
