Is lying in a memoir considered protected speech?

Greg Mortenson with Afghan students in Sarhad village.

/ Courtesy Central Asia Institute

(CBS/AP) The attorney for Greg Mortenson's publisher says the "Three Cups of Tea" author can exaggerate or even lie in a memoir, and it's still constitutionally protected free speech.

Penguin Group (USA) attorney Jonathan Herman and attorneys for Mortenson, co-author David Oliver Relin and the Central Asia Institute asked a federal judge Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit by four people who bought Mortenson's books.

The lawsuit claims Mortenson and the others committed fraud by lying about how he came to build schools in Central Asia so they could sell more books.

Herman and the other defendants' attorneys say there was no fraud involved because there was no injury to the plaintiffs

U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon did not make an immediate ruling, saying he wants to consider the arguments further.

[FGarcia11]

CBS is notorious with it lies, and subsequent apologies and retractions, including and especially 60 Minutes. Its a great way to go, sensational show with erroneous information, and then retract or apologize. Film is the worst, then television, then print, then radio.

If the plaintiffs win this case, major media will be deluged with thousands of lawsuits. That, in addition to declining ratings and major drop in advertising will be the demise of network television. Its been a downhill slope since the mid 1990's. All empires come to an end, including the mighty CBS.