Trump sues Bob Woodward for nearly $50 million over use of interview recordings

January 31, 2023

Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Monday against journalist Bob Woodward, Simon & Schuster Inc., and the publisher’s parent company, Paramount Global, over recordings of interviews he did with Woodward in 2019 and 2020, claiming that Woodward did not have permission to use them in an audiobook released in 2022 and that he misrepresented at least one of the recordings by omitting portions of an interview.

Trump said he gave Woodward permission to record the interviews “for the sole purpose of a book,” but that the permission did not extend to the later audiobook made from the recordings.

“This case centers on Mr. Woodward’s systematic usurpation, manipulation, and exploitation of audio of President Trump,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.

Trump is seeking just under $50 million, or the estimated purchase price of $24.99 per audiobook for the estimated sale of two million copies.

“Former President Trump’s lawsuit is without merit, and we will aggressively defend against it. All these interviews were on the record and recorded with President Trump’s knowledge and agreement. Moreover, it is in the public interest to have this historical record in Trump’s own words. We are confident that the facts and the law are in our favor,” Simon & Schuster and Woodward said in a joint statement via email.

The suit was filed in Florida where Trump resides and where the defendants do business.