Mulroney Lawsuit
On November 23, 2005, Mulroney filed a lawsuit against Newman, arguing that Newman had broken the terms of the deal about how the tapes should be used, as well as what would happen to them if Newman did not produce the "scholarly and serious" biography of him that Mulroney expected.
The suit had three main demands:
- Newman ceases any future plans to print or broadcast the tapes, with the court imposing a permanent injunction to ensure he doesn't.
- Any money Newman has already made from the tapes is to be donated to two hospitals in Toronto and Montreal.
- The tapes are to be turned over to Library and Archives Canada.
Prior to this, on November 17, 2005, Mulroney's friend, scandal-ridden former media lord Conrad Black, filed a libel suit against Newman for "falsely and maliciously accusing him of breaking criminal laws, including mail and wire fraud and money laundering in his 2004 book about Black." It is notable that these are the same charges that Black faced in the United States in 2007, some of which he was convicted on.
On December 5, 2005, Mulroney accepted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Concordia University. During the speech, he joked that he would be brief because he could only speak at length when he's being tape recorded - making a passing joke about the tapes.
Read more about this topic: The Secret Mulroney Tapes