According to the publication, Rosneft and Russian businessmen filed claims against the publisher and author of the book by Katherine Belton in March and April of this year. “We can confirm that neither Mr. Aven, nor Mr. Friedman was known in advance about other claims in question. They did not come into contact and did not coordinate the legal strategy with other plaintiffs or their lawyers, ”said Mr. Friedman, official representative.
He clarified that Mikhail Friedman and Peter Aven filed claims only after the publishing house refused to discuss measures proposed by lawyers to eliminate the violations. Representatives of the plaintiffs are British law firms Carter-Rook, CMS, Harbotle & Lewis and Taylor Wessing. Harpercollins stated that it would protect this “gaining recognition and innovative book” and the right to write about issues that cause public interest.
Roman Abramovich filed a lawsuit against Harpercollins in March this year. According to him, the book contains a “series of false and slanderous statements” about it and the purchase of the Chelsea football club. The book claims that he could buy Chelsea at the direction of President Vladimir Putin to improve the image of Russia in the UK. Mr. Abramovich said that he could not reach a peaceful decision with publishers.
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