Author John David California, Windupbird Publishing and SCB Distributors will fight J.D. Salinger’s lawsuit to block publication of “60 Years Later–Coming Through the Rye.”

The publishing team has hired the law firm of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz to fight the lawsuit in federal court on Monday. According to Courthouse News, the author seeks to have “publication enjoined, all copies of the book destroyed, damages and costs” in the “scathing” lawsuit against a book that catches up with the hero of “The Catcher in the Rye” in his golden years.

Here’s a statement from Aaron Silverman at SCB Distributors: “Salinger’s ham-fisted attempt to squash this thoughtful book must fail … But a review of “60 Years Later” shows it to be an independent work worthy of Copyright and First Amendment protection. Readers will find 60 Years Later to be an imaginative commentary not only on Salinger and his relationship to the character that defined him–but also on their joint status as cultural icons.”