Federal Judge to Decide Whether 'Freakonomics' Defamation Suit Should Proceed

By DAVID GLENN

PISTOLS FOR TWO: Some time before the end of September, Judge Ruben Castillo of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is expected to announce whether he will toss out John R. Lott Jr.'s defamation suit against Steven D. Levitt and HarperCollins. In his suit, Mr. Lott claims that Mr. Levitt's bestselling 2005 book Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything falsely and maliciously suggests that Mr. Lott cooked the data that he used in his

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First Person

4 Rules of Lateness
Notes From Academe

Coal Into Honey
Commentary

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Past Coverage

A Reputation Under the Gun - April 28, 2006
In Latest Chapter of Lott v. Levitt, Appeals Court Favors 'Freakonomics' Author - February 12, 2009
Lott v. Levitt, 2 Years On - April 11, 2008
Federal Judge Allows Defamation Lawsuit Against Best-Selling Economist to Proceed - January 26, 2007
Trial Date Set for October in 'Lott v. Levitt' - May 2, 2007

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