RULES Author Sued for Defamation

Remember THE RULES? The prehistoric dating guide so popular in the 1990s that now seems a quaint memory today? Not exactly, but one of the book’s co-authors, Ellen Fein, is back in the news as a result of a $5 million dollar lawsuit slapped on her earlier this week, reports the Associated Press. The charges? That she called Dr. Larry W. Rosenthal, a Manhattan dentist, a “big fat liar” on a website she created. also says in papers filed in Manhattan state Supreme Court that Fein has tried to put the bite on him for $100,000. “Among other things, the Web site carried a statement accusing Dr. Rosenthal of lying, which continues until this day, and incorporated defamatory statements” from BadDentist.com, a site created by another of Rosenthal’s patients, the lawsuit says.

Fein’s lawyer, Ann McGrane, said she planned to file a motion to dismiss Rosenthal’s lawsuit and said she was sure it would be granted. She would not comment further.

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