Amy Griffin, author of the bestselling memoir The Tell, has filed a defamation lawsuit against a former classmate who accused her of stealing the story of sexual abuse that forms the basis of the book. The suit, lodged in federal court in Nevada on Monday, claims the classmate falsely portrayed Griffin as 'a fraud and a thief' in comments published by The New York Times and in a separate lawsuit filed earlier this year.
Griffin's complaint asserts that the allegations are 'false in every element' and argues that her account of abuse predates any contact with the accuser. According to the suit, Griffin documented her abuse in writing in 2020 and provided a detailed statement to Amarillo police in 2021, years before she allegedly obtained information from the woman. The lawsuit also disputes claims that the two met for coffee in California in 2019, citing records and witness accounts that contradict that version of events.
The Tell, an Oprah's Book Club selection, details Griffin's account of being sexually abused by a teacher while attending middle school in Amarillo, Texas. Griffin wrote that she later recovered memories of the abuse through therapy involving MDMA. The dispute erupted after The New York Times published a story examining the memoir and reporting claims from a former classmate who said aspects of Griffin's account closely resembled her own experiences.
The former classmate, who filed her California lawsuit anonymously as Jane Doe, accused Griffin of trying to intimidate her through litigation. 'Despite trying to remain anonymous, Amy has now chosen to use her immense wealth and influence to try and silence me,' she said in a statement provided through her lawyers. Griffin is seeking damages and a court declaration that allegations she stole another survivor's story are false.
Although The New York Times is not named as a defendant, the lawsuit sharply criticises the newspaper's reporting. Griffin's attorneys claim the paper failed to properly scrutinise the allegations before publication. In response, a spokesperson for the newspaper said, 'Our reporters' only agenda was to pursue the facts,' adding that the paper extensively fact-checked the story and worked with Griffin's legal team before publication. The Times also said several allegations Griffin now disputes were never reported in its article.
