Trump sues Bob Woodward, Simon & Schuster, Paramount for $50 million

Former President Donald Trump sued famed journalist Bob Woodward on Monday over the release of audio recordings of his interviews with Trump, who claims he never agreed to allow those tapes to be sold to the public.

Woodward, publisher Simon & Schuster and its parent company, Paramount Global, “unlawfully usurped” Trump’s copyright interests and other rights by publishing an audiobook featuring hours of “raw” audio from Woodward’s many interviews with the former president, the lawsuit alleges.

The suit seeks $50 million or more which it says is based on an estimate that the audiobook, “The Trump Tapes,” sold more than two million copies at $24.99 apiece.

The 31-page complaint, filed in federal court in Pensacola, Florida, alleges that Trump “repeatedly stated to Woodward, in the presence of others, that he was agreeing to be recorded for the sole purpose of Woodward being able to write a single book.”

That book, 2021’s “Rage,” failed to replicate the success of Woodward’s previous book on the Trump White House, according to the lawsuit. Woodward then “decided to exploit, usurp, and capitalize upon President Trump’s voice by releasing the Interview Sound Recordings of their interviews with President Trump in the form of an audiobook,” the complaint alleges.

Simon & Schuster did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.

This is developing news. Please check back for updates.