LOS ANGELES — Amy Griffin filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court in Nevada on Monday against a former middle school classmate. The complaint alleges the former classmate falsely claimed Griffin appropriated her accounts of sexual abuse for a 2025 memoir titled 'The Tell'.

The lawsuit seeks a judicial declaration that the allegations of story theft are false and requests financial damages to be determined during trial. In March, the former classmate, identified under the pseudonym Jane Doe, filed a separate lawsuit against Griffin in California state court. Griffin's legal team is seeking to have that California lawsuit dismissed.

The memoir became a selection for a major televised book club and describes Griffin being sexually abused as a child by a teacher in Amarillo, Texas. Griffin states she recovered memories of the abuse through therapy utilizing the psychedelic drug MDMA. She asserts she documented her account in writing in 2020 and provided a detailed account to the Amarillo Police Department in 2021. A criminal investigation into those allegations was halted due to an expired statute of limitations.

Griffin's lawsuit alleges the accuser incorrectly identified herself as a classmate featured in the book under the pseudonym Claudia. According to the filing, Griffin and the accuser have not spoken in over 35 years. Griffin states she was not present in the Palm Springs area in 2019, which is when the accuser claims they met. Jane Doe stated, "Despite trying to remain anonymous, Amy has now chosen to use her immense wealth and influence to try and silence me." She added, "I am shocked and disappointed that she would choose to take this route, especially since she herself knows the truth."

Danielle Rhoades Ha, a publication spokesperson, said, "The lawsuit and related filings repeatedly misrepresent the story and its reporting." Ha said, "Our reporters only agenda was to pursue the facts, including corroboration of accounts from all sources." Ha stated, "Our story was about a publishing phenomenon, the reliability of memories recovered while under the influence of MDMA and the impact of a bestselling memoir on the author's hometown." Griffin's attorney, Tom Clare, said, "Amy Griffin's accuser has had every opportunity to set the record straight." He also said, "This lawsuit's purpose is to make the truth known."