The Amy Griffin lawsuit is actually two lawsuits running in parallel. In March 2026, a former middle school classmate sued Griffin, her ghostwriter, and Penguin Random House in Los Angeles County court, alleging that key abuse scenes in Griffin’s 2025 bestselling memoir The Tell were lifted from the classmate’s own life. In June 2026, Griffin countersued in federal court in Nevada, calling the accusations defamatory and false “in every element.”
The classmate, Joleene Altum, filed her case under the pseudonym “Jane Doe.” Griffin, a New York venture capitalist whose memoir describes childhood sexual abuse she says she recovered in memory during MDMA-assisted therapy, has moved to dismiss Altum’s suit under California’s anti-SLAPP statute while pressing her own defamation claims.
What Altum Alleges
Altum sued on March 4, 2026, in Los Angeles County court, naming Griffin, ghostwriter Sam Lansky, and Penguin Random House as defendants.1Amarillo Tribune. Woman Sues Amarillo-Raised Author of The Tell2E! Online. Amy Griffin Memoir Controversy Lawsuit Explained3People. The Tell Author Amy Griffin Defends Bestselling Memoir
Altum claims two specific assault scenes in The Tell happened to her, not to Griffin. The passages describe a student being assaulted by a teacher in a school closet, and a second, more violent attack in a school bathroom in which the teacher allegedly put his boot on the victim’s back, stuffed a bandana in her mouth, and whipped her with a belt.4People. The Tell Author Amy Griffin Lawsuit Altum says she is the real person behind the pseudonymous character “Claudia” in the memoir, and that Griffin used her identity and private information for commercial gain.5The Cut. Amy Griffin The Tell Memoir Lawsuit
The complaint asserts seven causes of action: invasion of privacy, public disclosure of private facts, false light, unfair competition under California Business and Professions Code Section 17200, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and negligence.6FindLaw. Billionaire Author Sued: Lawsuit Claims She Stole Memories
Two factual claims form the spine of Altum’s story. First, she says she and Griffin met for coffee in the Palm Springs area in 2019 and discussed their shared experiences. Second, she says that in April 2022 a man posing as a talent agent contacted her to draw out details of her abuse, and that the lawsuit identifies him as Dominique Price, allegedly sent by Griffin under false pretenses.1Amarillo Tribune. Woman Sues Amarillo-Raised Author of The Tell Altum has said she felt “violated all over again” after reading her experiences in the book.7The Washington Post. Amy Griffin Lawsuit
Her attorneys, whose names have not been publicly reported, have also pointed to a decision by Griffin they call inconsistent: Griffin used a pseudonym for the alleged abuser but named the person she casts as a fellow victim. “When it came to the actual sexual assault victim — our client — she chose to publicize her name,” they said in a statement.8USA Today. Amy Griffin Defamation Lawsuit The Tell
What Griffin Alleges in Response
On June 15, 2026, Griffin filed her own suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, case number 2:2026-cv-01811, with a jury trial requested.9Justia. Griffin v. Altum8USA Today. Amy Griffin Defamation Lawsuit The Tell
Griffin’s complaint alleges that Altum’s statements, both to the New York Times and in her California filing, falsely painted Griffin as “a fraud and a thief” who “stole the rape of another woman and built a bestseller on it.”10Canadian Lawyer Magazine. Author Hits Back at Ex-Classmate Over Suit Alleging Appropriation of Abuse Accounts in Memoir She seeks a judicial declaration that the allegations are false, plus unspecified damages.7The Washington Post. Amy Griffin Lawsuit
The filing attacks Altum’s account point by point. Griffin says she and Altum have not spoken in more than 35 years, were never in the same church youth group, and never met in Palm Springs in 2019.8USA Today. Amy Griffin Defamation Lawsuit The Tell It includes a declaration from Dominique Price stating he never met or contacted Altum.3People. The Tell Author Amy Griffin Defends Bestselling Memoir Griffin also argues the theft timeline is impossible: she says she had completed a draft of the material that became The Tell by March 2022, a month before Price allegedly began contacting Altum in April 2022.
On the identity of “Claudia,” Griffin says the real person behind that character exists but is not Altum, and that she met with her on April 21, 2023, at a coffee shop far from where Altum lives.3People. The Tell Author Amy Griffin Defends Bestselling Memoir To establish that her own abuse narrative predates any contact with Altum, Griffin’s filings point to a written account she created in 2020 and a recorded interview she gave to the Amarillo Police Department in 2021.7The Washington Post. Amy Griffin Lawsuit The Amarillo Police Department was unable to pursue a criminal case because the alleged abuse occurred before Texas eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual assault in 2007.11Amarillo Tribune. Amarillo Author of The Tell Hopes Her Story Will Inspire Others to Seek Support
The Anti-SLAPP Motion in California
On the same day she filed her Nevada suit, Griffin also moved to dismiss Altum’s California case under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which allows for early dismissal of lawsuits that target protected speech and lack substantive merit.12Law360. Bestselling Memoir Author Wants Privacy Suit Tossed The motion argues that Altum “has no evidence beyond her self-serving statements and speculation based on The Tell itself.”3People. The Tell Author Amy Griffin Defends Bestselling Memoir Altum’s opposition was due June 29, 2026. Altum’s attorneys have called Griffin’s countersuit “part of a public relations damage control campaign.”8USA Today. Amy Griffin Defamation Lawsuit The Tell
The Pseudonym Question
Altum first sued as “Jane Doe,” and the California court kept her identity sealed through the early stages. A judge denied Griffin’s motion for expedited discovery that would have forced disclosure of Doe’s real name, and set the next California hearing for July 2026.13NewsChannel 10. The Tell Lawsuit: Court Keeps Jane Doe Identity Sealed in Griffin Memoir Case News outlets identified her as Joleene Altum, and Griffin’s Nevada suit names her openly on the docket.9Justia. Griffin v. Altum
The Recovered-Memory Backdrop
The Tell was published on March 11, 2025, by The Dial Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.4People. The Tell Author Amy Griffin Lawsuit14The New York Times. The Billionaire, the Psychedelics and the Best-Selling Memoir15The Times. Remembered Trauma: Real or Recovered Memory?6FindLaw. Billionaire Author Sued: Lawsuit Claims She Stole Memories Griffin has maintained the memories are genuine, writing in the book: “I knew that these memories were real. My body knew what had happened to me.”
Amarillo law enforcement and state education officials have reported that no other complaints were raised against the retired teacher during his 30-year tenure in the school district, either before or after the book’s release.2E! Online. Amy Griffin Memoir Controversy Lawsuit Explained Griffin’s camp cites this to argue the broader abuse narrative has not been corroborated by anyone else; Altum’s supporters cite it to raise doubts about the accuracy of Griffin’s recovered memories.
Where the Cases Stand
Two proceedings are active as of mid-2026. In California, Altum’s privacy and emotional distress suit is pending in Los Angeles County court while Griffin’s anti-SLAPP motion works its way through the process. In Nevada, Griffin’s federal defamation case is in its earliest stages, with proof of service due by September 13, 2026.9Justia. Griffin v. Altum No trial dates have been set in either case. There has been no public reporting of settlement discussions, and neither Penguin Random House nor Sam Lansky has made public statements or filed separate motions in the litigation.