Bradley Birkenfeld, who revealed the role of Swiss bank UBS in helping Americans evade taxes, is suing Kevin Costner and cosmetics billionaire Leonard Lauder for damaging the sales of his tell-all book.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/ac
Birkenfeld allegesExternal link that his publisher was forced to remove references to Costner and Lauder (and his mother Josephine Esther “Estée” Lauder) in his book Lucifer’s Banker under the threat of legal action.
The book manuscript claimed that both Costner and Lauder had secret, offshore, undeclared numbered bank account at UBS Switzerland. Costner allegedly had $20 million (CHF20 million) stashed away while Lauder was referenced as a friend of former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a regular contributor to her political campaign.
The suit filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida claims that removal of the names from the book “substantially diminished the newsworthiness and global sales of Lucifer’s Banker” and resulted in direct and indirect costs. Birkenfeld has demanded damages of $75,000, in addition to costs and interest.
Representatives of Costner and Lauder deny the allegations. UBS did not wish to comment on the matter when contacted by swissinfo.ch. Birkenfeld also declined to comment on the case.
Birkenfeld received a $104 million reward from the United States authorities after helping to bring down Swiss banking secrecy. He also served a 30-month US prison term for failing to reveal all he knew to investigators. His actions resulted in UBS entering in early 2009 into a deferred prosecution agreement and paying $780 million in fines, penalties, interest and restitution.
More
More
UBS whistleblower hits the jackpot
This content was published on
Bradley Birkenfeld, who was released from prison last month, was not present at the news conference in Washington on Tuesday where his lawyers at the National Whistleblowers Center announced what may be the largest payout ever under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblower programme recently criticized in the US Congress. “The IRS today sent 104…
This content was published on
Nemo brought the Eurovision Song Contest to Switzerland with a victory on Saturday evening in Malmö, Sweden. It is Switzerland's third victory in the history of the music contest.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
This content was published on
Birkenfeld claims he was pushed into the action by the discovery of an internal document at UBS which contradicted the working practices that bankers were engaged in. Birkenfeld interpreted the memo as the bank covering its own back against criminal liability without protecting its staff. Birkenfeld went to the US authorities “to hold people accountable…
This content was published on
Whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld is credited with exposing widespread tax evasion at Swiss bank UBS. Birkenfeld served two-and-a-half years in prison for a fraud conspiracy conviction related to the case, which resulted in a $780 million fine against the bank and an unprecedented agreement requiring UBS to turn over thousands of names of suspected American tax…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.