By Ron Charles Critic, Book World, Washington Post

Alan Dershowitz, who is a real lawyer, claims he has been defamed by Benjamin Dafoe, who is a fictional lawyer.

Hang on, your honor. Things are about to get complicated.

“The Good Fight,” which streams on CBS All Access, frequently revolves around ripped-from-the-headlines events. On May 28, the legal drama aired an episode called “The Gang Discovers Who Killed Jeffrey Epstein,” about the wealthy sex offender who died in prison last year. On the show, Benjamin Dafoe, Epstein’s (fictional) former attorney, says he formed a very bad opinion of Epstein after “he ditched me for Dershowitz.” Then he adds: “At least I didn’t get a massage, like that shyster.”

In a letter sent to CBS and made public by Variety, Dershowitz’s lawyer claims that this episode is defamatory and constitutes “a direct attack on his professional reputation as an attorney and professor of law.” Dershowitz wants CBS to delete the offending dialogue and issue him a public apology.

Is ‘The Good Fight’ worth adding another streaming subscription? Afraid so.

A real-life lawyer for CBS responded with all the pluck and wit you would expect from a character on “The Good Fight.” “Benjamin Dafoe is not a real lawyer,” wrote attorney Jonathan Anschell. “. . . In other words, as one might explain to a small child, the Series, its characters and the things they say are all make-believe. People don’t watch the Series for factual information about Professor Dershowitz or anyone else.”

Dershowitz’s objection to “The Good Fight” may sound like a variant of the strange legal battle that Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) launched last year against a parodic cow on Twitter. But his complaint, if successful, could pose a challenge to the vibrancy of contemporary historical fiction and biographical fiction — indeed, to any creative work that includes interactions between fictional and real-life public figures.

Just this summer, for instance, several prominent writers have published novels that borrow, embellish and manipulate the details of well-known people’s lives. Their stories freely mingle fiction and nonfiction, statements people have said and statements they have never said. There are no footnotes in these novels to distinguish truth from fantasy, research from invention. Those elements are as hard to pick out as the lentils that Cinderella’s stepmother tossed in the ashes. (Note: A lawyer for Cinderella’s stepmother categorically denies that accusation.)

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Amanda Fries Times Union

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday said her office was filing a lawsuit to force the dissolution of the National Rifle Association.

James accused of the organization of illegal conduct for diverting millions of dollars from the NRA’s charitable mission to personal use by the organization’s leaders.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Breaking-New-York-AG-files-suit-to-dissolve-NRA-15463653.php?utm_campaign=timesunion_breakingnews_20200806&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#photo-16349920

Almost 100 people in Ohio were infected with coronavirus after man attended church service

By Steve Almasy, CNN
Updated 3 hours ago Aug 6, 2020

(CNN) – A man with Covid-19 went to church in mid-June, then 91 other people got sick, including 53 who were at the service, according to Ohio’s governor.

“It spread like wildfire, wildfire. Very, very scary,” Gov. MIke De Wine said Tuesday. “We know that our faith-based leaders want nothing more than to protect those who come to worship.”

To illustrate how one infected person can spread the virus, state health officials released a color graphic showing how the cases radiated to some who weren’t even at the service.

DeWine urged people attending religious services to wear masks. He had mandated wearing face coverings for people 10 and older on July 22. On Wednesday, he ordered children in schools to wear masks, with a few exceptions.

The governor said he was going to send letters to churches, mosques and synagogues to share important health information.

“It is vital that, any time people gather together, everyone wear masks, practice social distancing, wash hands, and while indoors, making sure there is good ventilation and airflow,” he said.

In the case of community spread from the worshipper at the undisclosed church, a 56-year-old man went to the service. A total of 53 people got sick and 18 of those churchgoers spread it to at least one other person.

One instance of spread was a family in which a 34-year-old man became sick. His 31-year-old wife also became infected, as did four children who range in age from 1 to 11.

The wife and two children of the 56-year-old worshipper mentioned by the governor also got sick. The state didn’t detail the seriousness of the 91 people’s illnesses.

More than 96,000 people in Ohio have tested positive for the coronavirus.

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