Lawsuits against books falsely advertised as non-fiction

With the latest development in the high-profile stories stemming from Lance Armstrong’s doping revelation comes a civil litigation case which might cost the publisher of the cycler’s memoirs, if it succeeds in court.

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The class action suit against the cycler and his publishers is based on claims of fraud and false advertising. The plaintiffs are asking for refunds and more because they claim that they would not have bought the book had they known beforehand that the contents were actually fictional.

Similar cases have been filed in the past.

There was the case of Greg Mortenson and his memoir Three Cups of Tea, which has been accused of falsehood, fraud, and racketeering. The accusations have been cleared in May 2012 because the lawsuit was judged to be too vague.

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James Frey’s case in 2006 is also worth mentioning as his memoir, which is also a best-seller, was challenged by a lawsuit after the author and his publishers released statements admitting that the book included some altered facts. The case was settled in an agreement that had the publisher offering refunds for the court fees, and for copies of the book bought before the revelation of altered facts, and donating to charities.

While both previous cases had lawsuits going after authors of memoirs not 100%-based on fact, the court’s decision on the lawsuit against Armstrong still remains largely uncertain.  

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Find more links to recent high-profile civil litigation cases on this Twitter page for Attorney Evan Granowitz.