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Mohamed Al Fayed sues singer Paul Anka Mohamed Al Fayed sues singer Paul Anka
(4 months later)
Mohamed Al Fayed is suing 1950s/60s singer Paul Anka, accusing him of defamation, invasion of privacy, misuse of private information and the intentional infliction of emotional distress.Mohamed Al Fayed is suing 1950s/60s singer Paul Anka, accusing him of defamation, invasion of privacy, misuse of private information and the intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The case, heard at Los Angeles superior court, centres around the 71-year-old singer's autobiography, My Way, which includes numerous passages describing Anka's relationship with Dodi Fayed, Mohamed's son and the lover of Princess Diana. Al Fayed is demanding the book be withdrawn from sale.The case, heard at Los Angeles superior court, centres around the 71-year-old singer's autobiography, My Way, which includes numerous passages describing Anka's relationship with Dodi Fayed, Mohamed's son and the lover of Princess Diana. Al Fayed is demanding the book be withdrawn from sale.
In My Way, Anka claims to have been a "father figure" to Dodi, privy to the latter's secrets, scandals and bad behaviour. According to Anka's version of events, Dodi only moved from LA back to England – where he met Diana – after Anka had warned Mohamed that his son was getting into trouble. Diana and Dodi were killed in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.In My Way, Anka claims to have been a "father figure" to Dodi, privy to the latter's secrets, scandals and bad behaviour. According to Anka's version of events, Dodi only moved from LA back to England – where he met Diana – after Anka had warned Mohamed that his son was getting into trouble. Diana and Dodi were killed in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.
According to Entertainment Law Digest, Al Fayed's lawyers argue that My Way falsely portrays their client "as being in agreement with Anka's outrageous assessment of Dodi's purported poor character". Anka describes the film producer "as a criminal, womanising, drug-using deadbeat who lived beyond his means and who had to have 'Daddy' come to his rescue". It is defamation, they insist, to allege that Mohamed "[ordered] Dodi to be removed from Los Angeles and made to return to England in order to correct, limit or punish his son's acknowledged misconduct".According to Entertainment Law Digest, Al Fayed's lawyers argue that My Way falsely portrays their client "as being in agreement with Anka's outrageous assessment of Dodi's purported poor character". Anka describes the film producer "as a criminal, womanising, drug-using deadbeat who lived beyond his means and who had to have 'Daddy' come to his rescue". It is defamation, they insist, to allege that Mohamed "[ordered] Dodi to be removed from Los Angeles and made to return to England in order to correct, limit or punish his son's acknowledged misconduct".
While Anka did not have direct contact with Dodi in the days before his and Diana's death, he speculates in his book about the circumstances of their car crash. "[Their] hair-raising drive through Paris made sense, when I thought about it," he wrote. "One of Dodi's problems was that he was very paranoid. And he was especially paranoid about kidnapping, hold-ups and vendettas, always thinking that someone might want to kill him … When he got involved with [Diana], all that anxiety must have increased exponentially because the paparazzi were on their tracks, day and night. It was always about speed with him. Fast, fast, fast."While Anka did not have direct contact with Dodi in the days before his and Diana's death, he speculates in his book about the circumstances of their car crash. "[Their] hair-raising drive through Paris made sense, when I thought about it," he wrote. "One of Dodi's problems was that he was very paranoid. And he was especially paranoid about kidnapping, hold-ups and vendettas, always thinking that someone might want to kill him … When he got involved with [Diana], all that anxiety must have increased exponentially because the paparazzi were on their tracks, day and night. It was always about speed with him. Fast, fast, fast."
Al Fayed claims Anka has tried to "attract attention … and generate sales" by using his son's name to trade on "the public's insatiable interest in and enduring love for Princess Diana". He denies that Dodi's behaviour was a "contributing factor" in the Paris crash; it is "false and defamatory", he asserts, to portray the younger Fayed "as the type of person who would always tell a driver or chauffeur to drive faster to elude paparazzi".Al Fayed claims Anka has tried to "attract attention … and generate sales" by using his son's name to trade on "the public's insatiable interest in and enduring love for Princess Diana". He denies that Dodi's behaviour was a "contributing factor" in the Paris crash; it is "false and defamatory", he asserts, to portray the younger Fayed "as the type of person who would always tell a driver or chauffeur to drive faster to elude paparazzi".
Born in Canada, Anka was a hugely popular teen idol, topping the US charts at age 16. He went on to write songs for Tom Jones, Michael Jackson and Buddy Holly, as well as the English-language lyrics for Frank Sinatra's signature tune, My Way.Born in Canada, Anka was a hugely popular teen idol, topping the US charts at age 16. He went on to write songs for Tom Jones, Michael Jackson and Buddy Holly, as well as the English-language lyrics for Frank Sinatra's signature tune, My Way.
In addition to seeking punitive damages, Al Fayed is asking for Anka's memoir to be pulled from bookshelves. The singer's publishers have been named as co-defendants, as has the Daily Mail, which published excerpts from the book in March.In addition to seeking punitive damages, Al Fayed is asking for Anka's memoir to be pulled from bookshelves. The singer's publishers have been named as co-defendants, as has the Daily Mail, which published excerpts from the book in March.
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