Former President Donald Trump is suing longtime journalist Bob Woodward over publication of his Trump Tapes audiobook – claiming he has copyright ownership and asking Woodward and Simon & Shuster to fork over $49 million in damages.
Trump, who can be heard on the tapes calling Woodward ‘a great historian’ and ‘the great Bob Woodward’ in their recorded on-the-record chats, is nevertheless incensed at Woodward’s audio publication.
He had earlier called Woodward ‘very sleazy’ and threatened to sue. On Monday, he finally did so in Florida, drawing a Pensacola judge who is battling terminal prostate cancer and who once issued a ruling that struck down Obamacare.
His new lawyer was born in Britain, and is licensed to practice law in Florida and New York as well as to appear in court as a barrister in the U.K. – and as he revealed to DailyMail.com has done voiceover acting for Wendy’s, Panera Bread, and other clients in a variety of accents.
Trump took part in 19 interviews with Watergate journalist Bob Woodward. He is suing for $49 million in damages after publication of The Trump Tapes
Trump’s lawyers claim the former president, who spoke to Woodward while he was in office in repeated interviews – which Woodward recorded – ‘for the sole purpose of a book.’
‘This case centers on Mr. Woodward’s systematic usurpation, manipulation, and exploitation of audio of President Trump,’ according to the suit.
Trump had done the interviews during the pandemic, as Woodward penned Rage, his follow-up to his 2018 book critical of Trump, Fear. Trump participated in 19 interviews with Woodward.
He has been accused of forum shopping in the past, and of using the courts to make political points. Days ago, he dropped a second suit against New York AG Letitia James.
Trump filed suit in Florida after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago looking for classified material, drawing a judge he appointed who ruled in his favor and appointed a ‘special master’ to sort through the material. An appeals court later struck down the ruling.
His attorney, Robert Garson, denied any kind of forum shopping. ‘He’s a Florida resident,’ Garson told DailyMail.com.
He also said the suit was not meant to make a political statement. ‘I don’t bring suits for headline grabbing. I’m not that sort of guy,’ he said.
Garson, who has won awards for his voiceover work, has a ‘remarkably versatile voice anchored in the British accent range,’ and has done work in Scottish, Irish, and American accents. He says he hasn’t repped Trump previously.
Trump himself is a former TV pitch-man, and famously once served McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King at the White House.
Woodward published The Trump Tapes after conducting multiple interviews with Trump
Lawyer Robert Garson says he has not represented Trump previously
His suit bases the $49 million damages figure based on selling 2 million copies at $24.99 each, as Bloomberg reported, noting that all three judges in the division of the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida where Trump filed are GOP appointees.
Trump last week dropped his $250 million lawsuit against James, after a judge hit him with $1 million in fines over a suit that he called a ‘political manifesto outlining his grievances against those that have opposed him.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk