Entertainment

Legal woes mount for "Three Cups of Tea" author

June 20, 2011 / 5:12 PM EDT / CBS/AP

CHICAGO (CBS/AP) Legal action is mounting against "Three Cups of Tea'' author Greg Mortenson who has been accused of lying in the book.

Author and co-founder of the Central Asia Institue, Greg Mortenson, on the set of CBS New show Face the Nation. Robb Hill

A former teacher in Illinois has joined efforts to get a class-action lawsuit approved against Mortenson after "60 Minutes" raised questions about the book's accuracy.

Deborah Netter of Lake County filed a federal lawsuit this month in Illinois claiming Mortenson, his co-author and his publisher violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

Two Montana lawmakers have filed a similar claim there claiming they were duped into buying Mortenson's best-selling book and donating to his charity based on lies they thought were true.

Both lawsuits are seeking class-action status so they can be joined by the millions of people who bought Mortenson's books, heard his speeches or donated to his charity.

An e-mail from the Associated Press seeking comment was sent to a Mortenson representative on Monday.

In report that aired in April on "60 Minutes," correspondent Steve Kroft raised questions about the accuracy of several anecdotes in the book and interviewed sources who claimed the charities Mortenson runs in Afghanistan are mismanaged.