hunt v weberman complaint
DESCRIPTION
I tried to duck this complaint but it only turned the Judge against me more.TRANSCRIPT
E. HOWARD HUNT, JR. ,
Plaintiff,
'LIE THI RD PRESS - -
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT IN A.ND FOR TIIE SOUTHERN DISTRICT, OF FLORID/\. , MIAMI DIVISION
CASE NO:
7 6 . ..., l 2 5 2 .. ~iv-PF
JOSEPH OKPAKU PUBLISHING CO . , I NC ., a New York corporation and JOSEPH OKPAKU and MICHAEL CANFIELD and ALAN J . WEBERMAN and MARIA GRACIA FELICIANO,
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Defendants .
. COMPLAINT FOR LIBEL
1. Plaintiff is a citizen of the State of Florida,
having a permanent residence in Miami, Florida . Defendant ,
THE THIRD PRESS -- JOSEPH OKPAKU PUBLISHING CO., I NC., is a
corporation organized and existing under t he laws of the State ·
of New York and having its principal place of business in the
S tatc of New Yor·k; that in , publishing books, pcriodi.cnls , and
other written material for general dis tribution thro~ghout the
Unite d States and the State ·of Florida; the Defendant, JOSEPH
OKPAKU , is the Publisher of a book which wac copyrighted, printed
and published by JOSEPH OKPAKU and THE TIIIRD PRESS -- JOSEPH
OKPAfCU PUBLISHING CO., INC. in the year 1975 entitled COUP d ' ETAT.
IN AMERICA: THE CIA AND THE ASSASS I NATION OF JOHN F . KENNEDY ,
and i s also one of the editors of sai d book; the Defendant,
MICHAEL CANFIELD, i s one of the authors of the book entitled
COUP d 'ETAT I N AMERICA: THE CIA AND THE ASSASSINATION OF JOHN F.
KENNEDY; the Defenda nt , ALAN J. WEBERMAN, i s one of t he authors of
of the book cnti tlcd COUP d ' ETAT I N i\1"1ERI CA: THE CIA AND THE
ASSASSINATION OF JOHN F. KENNEDY; and the Defendant , MARIA GARCIA
FELICIANO, is one of the editors of the book entitled COUP d 'ETAT
IN AMERICA.: THE CIA AND THE ASSASS I NATION OF JOHN F. IZENN""EDY .
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2. Jurisdiction is invoked under 28 U.S.C. §1332, in
that the matter in controversy exceeds the sum or value of
· $10,000.00, exclusive of interest and cost, and is between
citizens of different States.
3. Plaintiff's cause 'of action for libel against the
· pcf~~~~~nts 4!;~§CS gI9!!1 ~llg J?~f~~c~il~1:~~ h?.!Y!~~ c.>:1::1th~~~~, ~gmp.~seq !
printed, pubiished, circuiatec.i, and soici for profit throughout
the United States and the State of Floridn, the book COUP. d' ETAT
IN AMERICA: THE CIA AND THE .ASSASSINATION OF JOHN F. KENNEDY,
which book asserts that "Kennedy was killed by clcmcntG asGociated
with 'the CIA and mafia-connected conspirators in retaliation for
his refusal to provide the air support for preventi~g the Bay of
Pigs fiasco." (See jacket of .book, a complete text of which is
annexed to this Complaint and incorporated herein by reference
as Plaintiff's Exhibit "A".)
4. The Defendants, in order to justify the main theme
of said book, as ·recited above, conveyed and intended to· convey,
inter alia:
(a) That "Chapter two is therefore the ·conclusion
that we ·have 'drawn from the ·arguments we· ·shall present from chapters
three ·to ten." (Page 9 of book) I
(b) "By 1963 Kennedy's murder was being planned by
assassination experts within the Central Intelligence Agency. Orders
had come down from upstairs that Kennedy must die and the then
recently formed Domestic Operations Division was assigned the task.
The leader of its covert operations department had it in for Kennedy
even before the nay of Pigs and h~ recruited some of the Afiency's
most danBerous npcrntives who would be part of an elabora te plot to
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assassinate the President and blame it on an agent of Cas tro." (Page 14J
In truth and in fact, that was the leader of the covert
operations department of the CIA's Domestic Operations Division. The
rest of the quoted material ~s outrageously false and maliciously
written.
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(c) "Meanwhile, the killers, clisguished as tramps,
hicl in some nea rby boxcars, ·which appeared to be lock.eel from the
outside." (Pnr;e ~5)
Referring to Plaintiff, which again is outrageously
false and maliciously written.
(d) "The assassins would have .gone free if not for
a sharp-eyed railroadman named Lee Bowers, who saw ·one of them jump
from one car to the next as the freight they were hidden in left
the yards. The· tramps were brought in .for qucs tioning but were
released on the FBI ·' s word that they were guiltless." (Page 16)
Again, ·referring to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false and maliciously written .
(e)' "The Kennedy assassination was thus really the·
first take-over of goveinment by organized violence, the first coup
d'etat in America, because after it happened there was a radical
change 'in policy. It differed from most coup de'etats in that the
man who replaced the slain leader, namely Lyndon B ... Johnson, was
not part of the conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor. The
roots of th~ c.oup could be traced back to the Bay of Pigs as could
the ·personn~l who participated in it." (Page 17) ,·.
Again, referring to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false and maliciously written.
(f) "One could compare the modus operandis of the
covert team caught in Watergate with that of the Kennedy killers." '
(P~ge 17)
Again, referring to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false and maliciously written.
(g) "The FBI also launched an all-out ·campai gn to
stop the rise ·of a 'black me ssiah' who would lead the former slaves
out of the economic and social wasteland of the ghe t.to. Martin ' . .
Luther King was made the subject of one of t h e most intensive sur
. veillance campaigns in the his tory of the FBI a~~ was probably the
victim of . the same covert actic..n team that killed John F. K.ennedy. 11
(Page 18)
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Ar,nin, referring to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false nn<l maliciously written.
(h) "There is overwhelming evidence to suggest a.
link between convicte<l Watergate burnlnry mastermind, Everette
ll1..1~n11:d llunt nnd 1.c~ c Ilnrvcy Onwnld. (Sec Ch.-1p L:er 2)" (Page xx)
J\gn.Ln, referring l.:o Plnln L:if:[ which in outr11;~c.·01w ly
fnloe and maliciously written.
(i) "There is substantial evidence to r;uggcr;t that
claims in the press which link Howard Hunt and Frank A. Sturgic to
the 'tramps' who were picked up in the vicinity of the Texas School
Book Depository after the ·assassination, have ·a strong basis in
fact. A photo analysis of the now famous tramp photos, including
:1n ilc.!(~l:11t:n ovm:·l11y of known p:Lctll1:~n of llunt nn<l f;t·ut'f•,i.n tipp<~ nr(j
in Chapter 11 of this book." (Page xx)
~gnin, referring to Plaintiff which i s outrageou s ly
false and maliciously written.
(j) "But why, after all his painstaking precautions,·
wo'uld the CIA let pictures of Howard Hunt, disguished as a tramp on
the· ·scene of the Kennedy assassination, circulate?". (Page 72
Again, referring to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false and m~liciously written.
(k) "In 1949 Howard Hunt wrote Bimini Run, a spy
thrill~r starring an ex-Marine, gamb ler ~n<l soldier of fortuen
named Hank Sturgis. It is obvious that somewhere along the line ,
Hunt's and Fiorini' s paths had crossed ... In a way Hunt is tellir:tg
.the truth; he 'did not know Sturgis then, instead he knew Fiorini."
(P~ge 94)
Again, referring to Plaintiff which is outrageous ly
false and maliciously written.
(1) "But the strangest thing· about Oswald ' s FPCC
was ·the fact that some of its literature was stamped with the
address '544 Camp St.' (S ee p age 271). As mention ed earlier this
was the address of the Cuban Revolutionary Council, an alliance of
anti~Castro groups put toge ther by the CIA. (S ee·p~ge '271;272) . It
was ·also the New Orleans address o f Howard Hunt , who worked closely
with 'the ·cuban Revolutionary Council." (Page ·35)
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Agnin, referring to Plnintiff which is outrageously
false nnd maliciously written.
(m) "In 195l~ Bannister started the Anti-communist
Lcnge of the Caribbean which helped overthrow thri leftist Arbenez
regime in Guatemala. Howard Hunt was in charge of this opt!ro.tio11 ..• 11
(P~ge 35)
Again, referring to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false and maliciously written.
(n) "Hunt arranged for troops to bcr,in training in
lloncluraA nnll cvcntunlly i\rl>cmc;,, wnn llcponc~d." (Pnr,e 35)
~ga:i.n, referring to Plaintiff which is outragcouoly
false ·and maliciously written.
(o) "When Hunt worked in the Office of Policy Coordin-
ation, the predecessor of the CIA, one of his main interests w~s to
'reverse Italy's leftward political trend and defeat the conununists
at the ·polls." (Page 36)
~gain, referri~g to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false ·and maliciously written.
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(p) "After the Front folded, Smith became the New · ·j Orleans del~gate to the ·cuban Revolutionary Council, which was also
connected with Hunt.'' (Page 36) ,·.
~gain, · referring to Plaintiff which ·is outr~geously
false ·and maliciously written.
(q) "During the planning of the Bay of Pigs invasion,
Howard Hunt ·also worked for Double-·chek, a dummy electronics firm \
·located just outside Miami." (Page 38)
~gain, referring to Plaintiff which is outr~geously
false ·and maliciously written.
(r) "Hunt worked on domes tic.· prop?-ganda for the
Council and it is likely that he knew Gil." (Page 43) . . Again, referring to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false and maliciously written.
(s) "Jim Garrison discovered that in the fall of 1963 ·
Ferrie ·made ·quite a few calls to Mexico City. Howard Hunt was station
chief there around this time." (Page 44)
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Again, referring to Plaintiff which i s outrageously
false ·and maliciously written.
(t) "General Alexander Haig , another Watergate-linked
figure, wns probably involved witl1 llunt nn<l Nixon because he was in
the Caribbean acction of the Planning Divis ion of the Department of
the Army at the time of Bay of Pigs." (Page 83)
~gain, · referring to Plaintiff which is outrageous ly
false and maliciously written.
(u) "Jerry Buchanan was the ex-convict brother of
James Buchanan, a close friend of Sturgis and a po ss ible CIA agent,
who, as we shall see 'later, may have worked with 'the omnipresent
llow.:ir<l liunt. " (Pag e 100)
Ag~in, · r eferring to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false ·and maliciously written.
(v) "When James· McCord was caur,ht buggi ng the
Democratic National Committee Office in the Watergate he was using
the ·n·ame 'Edward J. Martin. Hunt was using the code n ame Mr . White."
(Page '133)
Again, · referring to Plaintiff which 'is outrageously
false ·and maliciously wr.itten.
(w) ''This would be the second time Hunt: retired from
what was essentially the ·same organization: He was listed as a
retired government official when h e planned Castro's assassination
in Spain." (Page 174)
Again , referring to Plaintiff which 'is outrageously \
false ·and maliciously written.
( x ) "Very little 'is known about Hunt ' s activitie s·
duri~g 1962-63 . This period is totally omitted from his autobiogra
phy and all that is known about it is t hat he was the CIA Chief o f
Station in .. Mexico City during August ·and September 19 63." (Page 78)
Again, r eferrtng to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false ·and maliciously written . ..
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( y ) "Hunt' s snfe also contained material relating
to an investigation of Chnppaquiclick. Ile cultivated i n formers
within the Kennedy clan nn<l mny have forge cl clocumentn blaming the
f ailurc of the nay of Pi~n invanion on a secret agreement between
Kennedy and Can tro." (P ::q:;e: 79-.80) .
~gain, referrinB to Plaintiff which is outra~counly
false nncl maliciously written.
(z) "The people connected with the Ilay of Pigs
operation and Wate~gate ·certainly had a motive for killing Kennedy;
they felt he was standi1:1g in the way of the 'liberation of Cuba' . "
(Page: 82)
Again, · referring to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false and maliciously written.
(aa) "Hunt laid the blame for the Bay of Pigs fiasco
almost entirely on Kennedy, .:ind there is reason to believe ~h<1t he
sunpccted the PrcEi<lent of being pnrt ·of the 'intcrnationnl communist
conspiracy' . " (Page 7 6)
Again, referri~g to Plaintiff which ·is outrageously
false and maliciously written.
(bb). The ·nefendants repeatedly assert on pages xx,
69, 72, 73, : 199 and 224 that the phot~graphs· on p~gcs 208, 211, 212,
213, 214, 215, 216, 217 and 223 ,· taken at Dallas.,· Texas on November
22,. 1963, are those ·of the Plaintiff. •.·
Again, referring to Plaintiff which is outrageously
false and maliciously written.
(cc) "From the precedi~g tes.timony it appears that
the 'death squad was composed of t wo men in the TSBD and two meri
behind the fence on the knoll. They were supported by at l eas t ·two
other conspirators who assured the police ·and bys tanders that they
had everything under control behind the' TSBD." (Page 66)
Again, referring to Plaintiff which is outrageous ly
false and maliciously written ..
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(dcl) "Kenne dy dur; hin own grave by trying to s top
the llownrd Hunts of the CIA from killing Cnstro." (Pnge 79)
A3nin, r eferring to · Plnintiff which is outrageously
fnlsc and malicious ly written.
(c c ) "Was he ntrnicl that if llu11t wno thorouchly
investigated or even put in the limelight oomeonc mieht realize
that Howard Hunt was the key to the John F. Kennedy as s as$ination?"
(Page 87)
Again, outr~geously false and maliciously written.
(ff) "The FBI found fingerprints in the Texas School
Book "Depository which to date, they have ·not identified. The .mos t . .
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obvious ·thi~g to do is to crosscheck them with those of the Watergate ·.:·
burglars. "
Again, referring to Plain tif :f: which is ·outrageously
false and maliciously written.
. 5. All such ·assertions were and are f lagrantly false ·and
libelous ·and the libelous matter was authored and published by the
Defendants with ·nctual malice,· th.it is., with knowl0cl gc that said
assertions wcfre false or with reckless disregard of whether they
were ·false or not. Plaintiff alleges that the ·foregoing as sertions
are a sheelj fabrication :by the Defendants and, in most i nstances , ,·.
were ·and are wholly imagined, which statements, views and activities'
contained in the hook attributed to the Plaintiff are abhorrent,
outrageous and repugnant so as to offend public notions of decency
to the Plaintiff
6. The foregoing assertions,· and the complete text of
the said book conveye d and we·re intended to confey, inter alia,
that Plaintiff murdered President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther
King, un<l thnt l>laln tif[ wan guLlty of [<Yq_~e ·i:-y an Wl.!ll. By 110
publishing, Plaintiff all~ges that the. Defendants, well knowing the ·
name , reputation, and work of the Pl aintiff , but contriving and '
wro~gfully and maliciously in fending to injure ·and aggrieve the ·
Plaintiff and to destroy the comfort of his life and peace and
tranquility of his mind, and to thrust upon Plaintiff unsought,
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f.:il~c, dcfnmatory, unwnrr<lnl:ed <lnd nnclenirecl public i ty, utterly
obnoxiouG to the Plaintiff ... nll f or the Dcfenclnnta ' a<lvnntagc,·
did o f.fer nncl sell their book to t he public for money.
7. An n direct and proximnte result of the Defencl a.n to '
book, Plaintiff has been cxposc<l to the ha t red, contempt and dia
eua t 0£ the public j he has suffered loss of reputa tion, s tancling
in the community, personal humiliation, mental anguish and suffering,
and he will s o suffer in the future.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff demands ju<l~ment nga.ino t the Defcn<lan t o ,
and each o[ them, jointly and severally, for compensc'l tory dumu~cs in
the a.niount of $1, 000 '000. 00' and fqr puniti vc 'or' cxcmplury cl.:unagco in
the amount of · $1,500,000 . 00 plus costs of this action, and Plaintiff
demands trial by jury of all issues triable by jury.
ELLIS RUBI N LAW OFFICES, P.A. Attorneys for Plaintiff 265 Northeast 26th Terrace Miami, Florida 33137 Telephone: 576-5600
~ \)._!). By: ?~~Ss~
ELLIS S. RUBIN -~
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E. HOWARD HUNT,
Plaintiff ,
v s .
JOSEPH OI<PAKU PUBLICATION, THIRD PRESS, INC., and
I N THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT I N AND FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF
) FLORIDA
) CIVIL CASE NO~ 76-1252-CIV-PF
A. J. WEBBERMAN, individually, )
Defendants. )
• • ... . . . . . NOTrCE OF LIMITED APPE-ARANCE
COMES NOW MARK J_ FRIEDMAN, ESQ., and notes his limited
appearance in this Honorable Court on this cause as to only the
above ·named defendants and only for the purpose of contesting
the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court.
Respectfully submitted,
MARK J. FRIEDMA.'l\l Attorney for Defendants 350 Lincoln Road Suite 422 Miami Beach, Florida 33139
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I JIEREilY. CERTIPY thnt Cl t rue a nd c orre c t c opy of: the fore going NOTICE OF LIMITED APPEl\Rl\NCE was maile d t o Ellis Hubi n, Es q., Attorne y for Plaintiff , 265 N.E. 26th Terrace , ~iami, Florida 33137 this 27th day of October, 1976~
E. HOWARD HUNT,
Plaintiff,
v s .
)
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JOSEPH OKP.l\KU PUBLICATION, ) THIRD PRESS, INC., and A. J. WEBBERMi~N, individually,
Defendants. · )
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TO: ELLIS RUBIN , Esq.
IN THE UNITED ST.l\TES DISTRICT COURT IN l\ND FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
CIVIL CASE NO. 76-1252-CIV-Pi
NOTTCE OF TAKING DEPOSITIONS
Attorney for Plaintiff, E. HOWARD HUNT, 265 N.E. 26th Terrace, Miami, Florida 33137
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a deposition of your Client
E. HOWARD HUNT, in the above styled matter will be h e l d on
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17th, 1976, at 5 P. M. at the offices of
MARK J. FRIEDMAN, ESQ., 350 LINCOLN RO~D, SUITE 422, MI AMI BEACH,
FLORIDA, before a duly qualified Officer.
PLEASE HAVE YOUR CLIENT PRESENT and gover~ yourse lf
accordingly.
,·.
Respectfully submitted ,
MARK J. FRIEDMAN , Esq . Attorney f or Defendant, 350 Lincoln Road Suite 422 Miami Beach, Florida 33139 532-5409 •
I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy o f the foregoing NOTICE OF TAKING DEPOSITIONS was ma iled to ELLIS RUBIN, Esq·., ·Attorney for Plaintiff, 265 N.E. 26th Terrace, Mi ami, Florida 33137, this 27th day of October , 1976.
I.
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lJNI'l'E!l S 'l'/\'I'ES IHS'l'HIC'l' COlJH'l' SOU'l'HEHN DIS'l'IUC'l' OF PLOHID/\
Case No.
)
)
CIVIL l\CTION DESIGNATION FO~~
Is this action based solely on diversity? (yes or no)
II. Nature of suit (check one):
Antitrust -- Land Condemnation
-- Patent, Trademark, Copyright
School Integration _..,S .P. .C. case _12::_ Other (Gcnc~al civil)
III. County & Division wherein ac~ion arose (indicate below):
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Dade or Collier County (Miami Division) Monroe County (Key West Division) Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale Divis ion) Palm Beach, Glades or Hendry County (WPB Division) Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River , Okeechobee or Highlands County (Ft. Pierce Division)
IV.· Is this suit brought as a class action? (yes or no)
v. Pending related casc(s), if any: · /VO""E!.. ,•
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Judge: r~----~:r C~fa· ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cas~ No (s):
Relationship:
VI. Has this case been previously filed in this court? (yes or no)
If yes, Judge:
Case No:
Date:
Firm:
Ry : Mailing Address:
(City) (Stat'2) (Zip)-
Telephone:
/
E. IIOWZ\HD IIUNT
PLZ\INTIFF
vs
JOSEPH OKPAKU PUBLIC.l\TION , THIRD .PRESS , INC , l\ND A. J . . WEBBERMAN, individually
. DEFENDANTS ...........................
IN 'l'HE UNI'l'E D S 'l'l\'rm; DIS'l'IUCT COUR'r IN .l\ND FO:R 'l'l!E SOU'l'ImRN DISTRIC'l' OF FLA
CIVIL Cl\SE NO 76-1252-CIV-PF
LIMITED AP PEZ\RANCE AND DENIAL
Now Comes above named defendants , by and through their untlcrsignc
counsel and moces to dismiss the complaint for the followin0
reu.sons:
1 . 'rhu.t the court lu.cks Cl n exu s for which j uri sdi ction ml.ly
be established, since the publication did not intend such nexus
as Miami to exist in relation to the book complained of .
2.That the pleadings of plaintiff are without diversity
or ju~sdictional prerequisites.
3 . That the complaint is a· sham .
4. That Plaintiffs should be deposed by defendant in order
to establish a reasonable grounds for explaining the cause
Of action and the basis for defendants to be able to respond
to the complu.int .
WHEREFORE Defendants r equest a dismissal at this time
for lack of jurfsdiction.
submitted ,
i.~?· cfhtorn::.y& Cvw:ic.fa.,_ at .£<i.u:1 .-.-o ('· f J:>,f . _C,,;~r .,.,.o ;>J - LJ'!.C,.Q_JJ. d\1 ... , d .. .. " ..... .,__(.)
oH~ml JJ;;ac.~, 9 !.'oii.c!'a. 3s139
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SUMMONS IN A CIVIL ACTION
FOR THE
CIV. la '2·Ml (Formerly n. C. Fnrm No.46& f!e-t. (6·4~))
r:OUTHf:TtN DIS'fIUCT OF FLOIUDA, ;.,nA:\11 DIVISION
CIVIL ACTION FILE No. ----
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;:i.·n.~·~\TB1RD PrtESL3-".' ·' JCff;J.~:.:·,~H QiCPAK"J PUB.LISI-JING ".
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f:;q~ 'i~ ii.'lC!" ' n l\fow Yoi·k C04l)Qration Q.n4: J()~~:SPH Ol:P_t\.I•:LT aad :; ~·,HQHAEL · CANFIELD and ·A t~\.N J. \"IEBElU.iAN. and ~ ~ . i}.~.!.JUA' G~tACL\. FELICIANO, \\. ,· · ,i; . Defendant
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To the above named Defendant
You arc hereby summoned and required to serve upon
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ALJ\.N J. WEDERMAN ') n.t.ocL~M-: ~l: .t:~M
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·11l111JH.llY'H 1\1.LOl'llOY • who:·il! '1ldd1'NIH " "~ r ''I"' •' · . )(JUlN
SUMMONS '
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(!f' :1'-'(; J.l f" ' () ·~ " '.1 ~J/,'.'. i) , JI J .).!,_..,...., t• .... ·'" ELLIS IU.11.HN J..,A W OFFICES, P ., A .
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~~t 1, ~ r,.:; · ·· Mia1ni , l..4'lo1·it!.n 3313 .. , · · .. _ ·· ·· ·· ,an .answer. tQ tho complaint which is herewith served upon·. you, within j}O days after service of this
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sumn1'.on's<·:~pon"yo\i;· · :exclusive of the day of service . . If you fail to do so, judgment by defa~it \~iil b~
taken ugainst you for the relief demanded in the
1NO'fE:-T)li$;.ll:;umtriorut••la . issued pursuant · to Ruic 4 of the l•'cdcrnl Rules· of Civil I'roccdul'c. ">':
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SUMMONS IN A CIVIL ACTION C:IV. la 12·&0 (l"ormorly f>. C. P'nrm No.f G• Ito. (4-0))
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FOR THE
CIVIL. ACTION FIL.I: NO.
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lE. · HOWARD HUNT, JR. 1, (. ... .
Plaintiff • • t•'
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t1THE '. THJ.E.D PRESS-. ..:: ·' >JoS~PH OKPAKU PUBLISHING .....
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:·co'. , INC~ , a New York ' " ·:co.1:poration. and JOSEPH OKPAKU and j .MI~HAEL CANFIELD and .·ALAN J. WEBERMAN and :: ~:MARIA GRACIA FE~b'rMtd'iS?~ t ~ I j
To the above named Defendant
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You are hereby summoned nnd required to serve upon ·
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:,.,er,·: ·--·rn!•,:r'!f T.H~ .. '.THIR+l -P.n.ESS-:,,. Joseph Okpaku ~ublishing . C919 ,t .i I~~· , l ; 444 Central Park West
New York, New York 10025 •·.
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;~· 1: r 1-: ··:l; · -· ··- Miami, Florida 3313 7 ·Phone: 5 76-5600 · · · · -· · ,an answer. to the complaint which is herewith served upon you, within gl. 0 days after service of this
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sumri-i'onsi upO'r{: ~oJ·;;:., exclusive of the day of service. if you fail to do so, judgment by def;rnit ~vill - -bc
tnken against you for the relief demanded in the complaint.
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SUMMONS IN A. CIVIL ACTION f:IV. I • 12- r.I) '
U'orm•rly n, C. Form No.4r.a no. <6-4'> >
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<)Ef>1~.I\.V ~n1 :!'v.~iCH .. l\.'CL CANFIELD 4u~J'.ll.LAN J . WEDERi .. ~~AN «.:>.4l .. 1-.
?~·tAIUA Gi~\CIA F J:!l.IDOfGfilfa'nt
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To the above named Defendant
You are hereby summoned .and r equired to serve upon
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:1' an ~.~swer t? the complaint which is herewith served ~pon you, within 0 0 .d~r.~. a~\~r .~.~rxic~ ... C?.~\ ~his. sumrr1ons' \lporr ~du:;:( exclusive of the day of service. If you. fail to do so, j u.dgment . by -dc·fa~it" wili be
taken against you for the relief demanded in the
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5UMMONS IN A CIVIL. ACTION CI V. l a 1 2 -t, ~ )
(FormttlT D. C. Form No.Ha l<ev, U-0))
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FO R T HE
GOU-Ti R<:'. RN DIST RIC!:f-fH.~-F-LOIUBA-,-!'l:HAMI DIVISION
C IVIL ACTION FILE N O. ----
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r.fl·i"f:~-,-~1,I-Ill?;D PRESS·•· ',)·o::·:~:t~)H OKPA1.HJ PUBLISHING : CG~ • INC4 • a New \101:k coi·l)o.:ation ~rd JOSBJ.'H OKf>AKO and ~ ~ .1'tCL·i.\l!~.L · CANFIBLD and , .. ,, AI~AN J." ~VEDEH.MAN arnl .. ·· ~1XRiA G~~ACIA FELf><;ifl}it~~t :• ;I : ' l !
To the above named Defendant
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You nre hereby summoned and required to serve upon 1.·., ,fr, . .
SUMMONS
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/ Jv1IC.HAEL CANFIELD r~: i : , ; ' ] c / o JOSEPH OKPA.KlJ PUBLISHING CO., INC,, . . ·.
4'~1 C ontJ.·al Pa•k West '!plaintiff's attorney , whose L"ill.~eR"Srod~, New Yoi·k 10025
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. .. ELLIS nun:iN 1.,AW OFFICES, P . A.
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1n~ .. ~rnswcr ~? the complain wl11ch is hcrewitn served upon you, within;,;. C../ .days .af~er ~ervice ,of ~his l ~ • I ' • l
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sumri'ioGs;.iupon; yo·u;· exclusive of the day of service. If you. fail to do so, judgmc~t by default will-be
taken against you for the relief demanded in the complaint.
)o~e-ph t Bogart · --------71:--:Jtcz-c1e;1.-oj(;ourt~-_______ Cb.u ___ '"·--~¥---------------. ~·- (:;><' Deputy Clerk.
[Seal of Court]
-; NO'r E.:""4'I:his ·summons: iw · ilfsucd pur11\ln'nt to · Uule •l of. . the ' Fedcrul n ·ulcs of Civil Proccdur~ ·: ·
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SUMMONS IN A CIVIL ACTION C:JV. I a 12-~i l
Cl'nrm-.ly D. C. Fnrm N&.4:;a ltn. (~ - 4~))
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FOR THE
C l VIL. ACTION FILE N O .
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To the above named Defendant
You are hereby summoned and required t o serve upon
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' NAi.U.A GRi\CiA FET...!CJ.Ano , . AP. EDI'!~Or. •.rffE THIRD PRESS -- ·
SUMMONS
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I ·:t·:·: t'l J·osEPE OJ::J>J\I~U PlT"fl.LIBl!I:{G co, ' n1c. ,•. 44L~· Centr1l Park West, New York, New York 10025
•plaintiff's attorney , whosc!acldress I
Bilf•'Ji:qpt:<J ELLif. . RUP.JJ-~ L.Ao · 01-T:~c~~s I P.A . , · ... 265 tIORTHEt'.ST 26t~1 Tel.·race
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• t~~ •. a~swer t? the complaint which is herewith served upon you, within f}. 0 ~ay~ ~fte~· s~r~,i1c~ .. ~fi \this . sumri1.o'ns":up6n · §'du;:1exclusivc of the clay of Rervice. If you fail to clo so, judgment b.y default wiii be
taken against you for the relief demanded in the complaint.
Date: p .,.,.}d 'il If; /"} 7 l,n
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(NO'.l'E.:~'I'.hi:;j I summons "iR· ii>11ued . pursunn~ . to •Huie 4 of the lo'C?<lcral Hules of Civil Procedure.
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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
E . HOWARD HUNT , JR.,· CASE NO. 76-1252-CIV-PF
Plaintiff,
vs.
AT ,AN J . Wl·: BE RMJ\N ,
lk fen clan l .
AMENDED COMPLAINT
COUNT II I
8. Plaintiff realleges and reavers amended paragraph 1 and
paragraph 2 of the Complaint as if set out fully herein.
9. PlLd.nt.:iff sues the Defendunt WEBER.MAN for conspiracy to
defame and slander in that the Defendant, ALAN J. WEBEPJ1AN, did in-
duce and conspire with one Marita Lorenz to have her publicly
falsely accuse the Plaintiff, E. HOWARD HUNT, JR., of financing
and "bankrolling" several persons, including herself, Frank Sturgis,
and Lee Harvey Oswald and Pedro Diaz-Lanz, to journey in two cars
from Miami t:o Dallas, 'Texas, in November of 1963, in order to
murder the lh<!ll President of the United Stu tea , . John F. Kennedy.
AH a result of said conspiracy, these false and malicious charges
against the Plaintiff HUNT were publicized and circulated by the
said Marita Lorenz and the Defendant, ALAN J. WEBERMAN, with the
purpose to discredit and implicate P~aintiff HUNT in the most
·infamous crime in the history of the United States.
10. The foregoing false charges against the Plaintiff are
flagrantly false and slanderous, and the slnnd~rous mutter was
lJULhored and published by the Defendant WEBERMAN and Marita Lorenz
with actual malice, during 1977 in New York, New York, and else
where, so that it acquired national coverage, even into this
jurisdictiop; and with knowledge that said assertions were false
·· or with reckless disregard of whether they were false or not .
Plaintiff HUNT alleges that the foregoing assertions are a sheer
f1Jbr I (' ;.it.: ion by t:he Defendant WEBERMAN und Mud 1.1.1 Loren_z, and ure
so abhorrent , outrageous and repugnant so aH to offend public
notions of decency to the Plaintiff HUNT .
11 . The foregoing false and malicious as sertions by Defendant
WEBERMAN and Marita Lorenz conveyed and were in t ended to convey
t hat Plaintiff HUNT participated in the murder of President J ohn
F. Kennedy . By so alleging and conspiring t o a l lege, Plaintiff
HUNT would show that the Defendant WEBERMAN, wel l knowing the name,
r eputat i on, and work of the Plaintiff HUNT, hut cont r iving and
wrongf ully a nd ma lic iously intending t o i n j ure and aggri eve Pl ainti f f
HUNT, and to des troy the comfort of hie li fe and peace and tran
quili t y of h i s mind, and to thrust upon Plain t i f f HUNT unsought,
f a lse and defamatory, unwarranted and unde s i r ed public i ty , utterly
obnoxi ous t o the Plaintiff HUNT , was all f or t he De f endant WEBER
MAN' s advantage in this pending lawsui t.
12 . As a dire ct and proximate r esult of the Defendant WEBERMAN's
conspiracy t o defame and slander, Plai n t i ff HUNT has been e xp osed
t o t he ha tred , contempt and dis gust o f t he public ; he has suffere d
loss of r e pu t ation, standing ·in the corrununity, personal humilia tion ,
mental anguis h and suffering, and he will so s u f fer in the f uture.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff HUNT demands j udgment against the Defendant
WEBERMAN for compensatory damages in t he amount of ·$1,000 , 000.00,
and for pun itive damages in the amount of $1,500 , 000.00, plus costs
of t his ac tion, and Plaintiff HUNT demands tr i ~ l by jury of all
is s ue s t riab l e by a jury .
COUNT III
13. Pl aintiff realleges and reavers the allegations contained
in amended paragraph 1 and paragraph 2 of the Complaint as if set
ou t fully herein.
14 . Plaint iff sues the Defendant WEBERMAN f or conspir a cy to
deprive Plain tiff o f a witness i n the upcoming trial of this cause
of action in t hat the Defendant WEBERMAN consp i red wi t h one Marita
Lorenz to induce and pay for the trip of Frank Sturg is f rom t his
j ur i s dic t i on t o New York, New York , to suppos edly confer wi t h
Ma r i ta Lorenz. Pl aint i ff would s how t ha t on Octobe r 31, 1977 , due
to t he consp iracy and connivance o f De f en dan t WEBERMAN and Mari t a
Lore nz , Frank Stur gis did journe y t o _New York , New York , whe re he
w1u.1 f a l sely 1Jrre ste d and imprisone d, und f a l ~icly a cc use d of co-
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ercion and harassment. All of said charges were subsequently
dropped and dismissed within one week of Llw arrest and incarcer-
ation of Frank Sturgis. In addition, due to the conspiracy be
tween Defendant WEBERMAN and Marita Lorenz, and at their connivance,
the 15 year old daughter of Marita: Lorenz, Monica Mercedes Perez
Jiminez, was apprehended by New York City police while in possession
of a loaded .22 caliber revolver. The said daughter, Monica, of
Marita Lorenz, . did admit to certain perRons ut t he time and place
on October 31, 1977, in New York, New York, thaL she had the gun
on he r per8on with the purpose and intent t o kill Frank Sturgis.
15 . The subject of this lawsuit. is a Complaint for Libel
against the Defendant WEBERMAN and others for the authoring, print
ing, publishing, circulating and selling for profit the book COUP
D'ETAT IN AMERICA : THE CIA AND THE ASSASSINATION OF JOHN F. KENNEDY,
which book was co-authored by the Defendan t WEBERMAN. The subject
matter of the said libelous publication deals with the Defendant's
allegation that E. HOWARD HUNT, JR., and Frank Sturgis participated
in and did in fact murder President John F . Kennedy in Dallas, Texas,
on November 22, 1963.
16. Plaintiff HUNT would now show that it was the purpose of
the conspiracy between Defendant WEBERMAN and Marita Lorenz to either
assassinate or publicly thoroughly discredit Frank Sturgis in order
to deprive Plaintiff HUNT herein of his corroborative witness that
the charge8 contained in Defendant WEBERMAN's libelous publication
are false and malicious and untrue.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff HUNT demands judgment against the Defendant
WEBERMAN for compensatory damages in the amount of $1,000,000.00,
and for punitive damages in the amount of $1,500,000.00, plus costs
of this action, and Pla-ntiff HUNT demands trial by jury of all
issues triable by a jury.
ELLIS RUBIN LAW OFFICES, P.A. Attorney for Plaintiff 265 Northeast 26th Terrace Miami, Florida 33137 Telephone : 576-5600
By EL~.-.fsfiIN& -3-