from Gawker
Today impugned former New York Post gossip columnist Jared Paul Stern made good on his promises to sue Ron Burkle for accusing him of extortion, dragging his name through the mud, and daring to screw with the mafia, baby. The brilliant legal minds over at Gawker have gone through the complaint like so (and for #5, this he swears, there shall be revenge) but we'll recap: Jared Paul Stern is suing Burkle; his PR henchman Mike Sitrick; his head of security Frank Renzi; the New York Daily News for printing what Burkle fed 'em, along with reporter William Sherman, who broke the story; and Bill and Hillary Clinton for, er, being part of the Burkle-spiracy in a bid to curtail negative items about themselves. Stern is suing for libel, emotional distress, interference in business relationship, injurious falsehood, abuse of process, and civil conspiracy; we doubt everyone is named in every suit but alas, we do not yet have the complaint. But we're pretty sure Burkle, Stern's arch-nemesis, is up there.
Update: Wow, now we have the complaint. It's a doozy! Filled with righteous indignation and salacious allegations about with whom Ron Burkle might choose to, er, consort:
"During the past few years, Defendant Burkle, a powerful, politically connected billionaire who socializes with celebrities and carries on sexual liaisons with fashion models, some of whom are under the age of consent, became increasingly upset at what he perceived as unflattering coverage in the New York Post. Burkle was concerned that reports of his personal affairs, sexual and financial misconduct, and information about his extremely acrimonious divorce, would hamper his ability to continue to engage in unsavory and illegal conduct with impunity, and would embarrass and implicate close associates such as his advisor and employee, former President Bill Clinton, and Clinton's wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, both of whom he has supported and continues to support politically and financially."
Said financial support is alleged to be to the tune of $12 - $15 million a year for his role as Yucaipa Chief Marketing Officer. Wow. That's what best friends are for!
So: Is there merit to the case? Who knows, ETP hasn't seen the evidence. What we have seen evidence of: Jared Paul Stern, a reporter who knows how to dig for and ferret out information, spending the last year obsessively chasing down leads in his case, turning over every rock and stone to prove that he was set up, and to take down the guys who did the setting. (Many media types in New York can attest to Stern's frequent emails detailing the various connections between various players, and the backstories thereto).
Named defendants have 20 days to respond to the suit if they were served in New York, 30 days otherwise. Will there be a motion to dismiss? A settlement? A countersuit? We shall see how this proceeds.
Former New York Post gossip columnist sues billionaire Burkle, Clintons for defamation [IHT]
The Story According To Jared Paul Stern And Larry Klayman [Gawker]
