Plaintiff: Alan Swanson
Defendants: Bernard J. DiMuro, DiMuro Ginsberg P.C., and Katharine Almy
Court: Albemarle County Circuit
What’s at issue: Whether Almy and her attorneys “willfully, falsely, and maliciously” included a statement in a press release that alleged marital infidelity on the part of the plaintiff. In 1998, Swanson, his wife, and novelist John Grisham allegedly targeted defendant Almy for a series of anonymous letters written to Swanson’s wife. A subsequent police investigation cleared Almy, who then countersued her three implicators.
 What’s John Grisham doing here? It’s so hard to keep track of the lawsuits and counter suits filed in regards to a real-life letter writing mystery that we don’t know anymore. |
What’s at stake: $5.25 million in compensatory and $350,000 in punitive damages. Plaintiff says his marital life “has been exposed to scrutiny, not only in [his] own community, but throughout Virginia, the United States and the world, and the subject of his alleged marital infidelity has been the topic of rampant, specious speculation and comment.” A coach at St. Anne’s-Belfield, Swanson claims his relationships with his students, their parents, members of his family, his friends and members of the community have been harmed.
What’s the status: The complaint was filed on January 14 and has yet to be served.
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