Tell-All Author Says Travolta Defamed Him

LOS ANGELES (CN) - An author who wrote a book claiming John Travolta is gay claims in court that the actor and his lawyer, Martin Singer, lied when they rebutted his claims to Gawker, which has harmed his ability to sell his book.

Robert Randolph wrote a book called "You'll Never Spa in this Town Again," where, among other things, he claims he saw John Travolta ignore his disabled son to cruise for gay sex at a spa, according to Amazon.com's review.

In 2010, Gawker Media picked up on Randolph's story and published an article called "The Secret Sex Life of John Travolta," based on Randolph's accounts of Travolta's alleged sexual exploits with other men.

Singer wrote a letter to Gawker's director claiming Randolph's stories about his client were untrue, according to the complaint.

"Several of the statements made by Defendant Singer, on behalf of Defendant Travolta, are untrue and amount to defamatory statements sought to disparage the quality of Plaintiff's property and reputation and to induce members of the public to believe that Plaintiff is an unreliable source and thus abstain from purchasing Plaintiff's book," the complaint states.

Gawker then republished the letter from Singer, which Randolph claims has been republished across the Internet.

"If you had undertaken even the most rudimentary investigation prior to posting this story, you would know that Mr. Randolph is a patently unreliable source," Singer wrote in the 2010 letter to Gawker writer Gaby Darbyshire.

"Instead, you have published an outrageous, defamatory article about Mr. Travolta based on unfounded and baseless claims of a hostile and biased individual who admitted on his own website that he has suffered permanent brain damage and has had to re-learn how to 'use' his brain," the letter continued. (italics in original.)

Randolph sued Singer and Travolta for libel, and intentional and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage.

He is represented by Sarah Golden of Golden & Timbol in Costa Mesa, Calif.

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