Conrad Black filed an $850-million lawsuit in an Ontario court Friday against directors of Hollinger International Inc. and adviser Richard Breeden, accusing them of defamation and conspiracy to injure.
The claim, filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, names Gordon Paris, James Thompson, Richard Burt, Graham Savage and Raymond Seitz, all directors at Hollinger International.
It also targets Mr. Breeden, a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, who is advising a special committee of directors looking into claims that Lord Black and other top executives collected millions in unauthorized fees.
According to a brief press release, Lord Black is seeking $200-million for defamation, $200-million for conspiracy to injure, $200-million for “interference with economic relations and intimidation,” $200-million for intentional misrepresentation, and $50-million in punitive damages.
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The lawsuit said “the Defendants sought to destroy Black personally, professionally and financially and to transform him from a respected owner of a successful media chain into a loathsome laughing stock," according to reports from Reuters.
The trial, unveiled Friday by Lord Black's lawyer Edward Greenspan, will take place in Toronto.
The lawsuit is the latest skirmish in a battle between Lord Black and Toronto-based Hollinger Inc.'s U.S. operating company, which publishes the London Daily Telegraph, Chicago Sun-Times, and the Jerusalem Post, among others.
