A little more than a month after announcing he was planning to keep a low public profile, the National Post reports that Conrad Black is suing Random House of Canada for defamation.
According to the story, a $1.25-million lawsuit was filed against Random House, its publisher and vice-president Anne Collins, two editors, and author Bruce Livesey for his non-fiction book Thieves of Bay Street, stating that its publication brought Black into hatred, ridicule and contempt in Canada.
There are four passages in the book that serve as the basis for the lawsuit. Livesey is not offering comment, but in a statement to the National Post, Random House says it stands behind our author and his right to report on matters of fundamental public interest.
In a case of chomping the hand that feeds you, Random House of Canada owns McClelland & Stewart, which published Black’s 2011 memoir, A Matter of Principle. This could make for an awkward evening on June 26, when Black is scheduled to appear at a sold-out event at the Toronto Reference Library to discuss the recently revised autobiography.