Memoir Author Files Defamation Suit Over Abuse Story Dispute

A memoir author filed a federal defamation lawsuit Monday in Nevada against a former classmate who accused her of stealing another woman's account of childhood sexual abuse. The 29-page complaint seeks damages and a court declaration that the accusations are false.

It also devotes substantial space to New York Times reporting on the memoir, alleging the newspaper promoted the classmate's claims despite evidence to the contrary.

The complaint states the former classmate had not read the memoir when contacted by Times reporters and only advanced her accusations after receiving a copy from the newspaper. It further alleges the reporters obtained a confidential book proposal to identify the classmate as a source.

A New York Times spokesperson told The Post the paper's story did not state the author misappropriated the classmate's account and that the classmate shared her story before receiving the book. The spokesperson added that reporters interviewed many former students and conducted extensive fact-checking before publication.

September the Times published an investigation questioning the science of recovered memories and reporting the classmate's claims. The classmate filed her own lawsuit against the author in March. The federal complaint asks the court to hold both the classmate and the newspaper accountable for the disputed allegations.