Judge denies Bonds’ request to block profits of book
A judge has denied Barry Bonds’ request to block profits of the book accusing him of using steroids.
Bonds’ attorneys say the book’s authors, publisher Gotham Books, the San Francisco Chronicle and Sports Illustrated, which published excerpts of the book, should be held liable for publishing “illegally obtained grand jury transcripts.”But Judge James Warren said free speech protections shielded the defendants from such accusations and that he thought Bonds’ lawsuit had little chance of success.
Notably, Bonds’ attorneys did not allege that the claims in the book were libelous. They base their request on an assertion that the book’s authors illegally obtained grand jury testimony. A lawyer for Bonds says that he doesn’t consider this to be a libel or slander case (audio link - ESPN insiders only). This is because everyone knows that the allegations are true. Bonds used steroids. the only questions are what baseball is going to do about it, and who else shares the blame.
