Donald Trump Files $49 Million Lawsuit Against Bob Woodward and Simon & Schuster
Donald Trump lodged a $49 million lawsuit against famed journalist Bob Woodward on Monday, alleging that he never granted permission for Woodward to release the recordings of their interviews as part of an audiobook.[0] The 31-page complaint, which also names Simon & Schuster Inc. and parent company Paramount Global as defendants, claims that Trump consented to Woodward recording him “for the sole purpose of a book.” The recordings became the basis for Woodward’s 2020 book Rage, with the veteran journalist going on to release an audiobook of the interviews, called The Trump Tapes, in October 2020.[1]
The lawsuit, filed in the Pensacola division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, states that the “Defendants’ ongoing concerted efforts to profit off the protected audio recordings and the works they have distributed derived from the protected audio recordings have caused President Trump to sustain substantial damage.”[2] Trump claims that the defendants “have converted the audio not only into an audiobook but also into derivative works, including a CD, paperback, and e-book—again, all at the expense of President Trump and without accounting to him.”[3]
Woodward and Simon & Schuster, co-defendants in a lawsuit regarding the book “Rage,” issued a joint statement labeling Trump's suit as “without merit” and promised to “aggressively defend against it.”[0] Trump has a history of suing news outlets and people who do or say things he doesn’t like, having filed libel suits against The Washington Post, The New York Times, and CNN, the latter two of which have been tossed out of court.[1]
Trump has now set his sights on Woodward, claiming that while he consented to Woodward he could record conversations for his 2020 book “Rage,” the agreement didn’t include the use for “The Trump Tapes,” a Simon & Schuster audiobook from last year. The former president’s lawsuit seeks more than $49 million in damages.[4]
0. “Trump sues Bob Woodward over interview recordings for book “Rage”” Axios, 30 Jan. 2023, https://www.axios.com/2023/01/30/trump-woodward-lawsuit-interviews-rage-book
1. “Trump Sues Journalist Bob Woodward for Making an Audiobook of Multiple Interviews He Agreed To” The New Republic, 27 Jan. 2023, https://newrepublic.com/post/170288/trump-sues-journalist-bob-woodward-audiobook
2. “Trump Sues Bob Woodward For $49 Million In Dispute Over Audiobook Recordings” OutKick , 30 Jan. 2023, https://www.outkick.com/trump-sues-bob-woodward-for-49-million-in-dispute-over-audiobook-recordings
3. “Trump sues Bob Woodward and publisher for $50 million over use of his interview recordings” CNBC, 30 Jan. 2023, https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/30/trump-sues-bob-woodward-simon-schuster-paramount-for-50-million.html
4. “Trump sues journalist Bob Woodward” msnNOW, 30 Jan. 2023, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-sues-journalist-bob-woodward/ar-AA16VbMX?li=BB141NW3
