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…
Surge in PhDs in Switzerland driven by international students
This content was published on
The number of PhD students in French-speaking Switzerland has doubled over the past 30 years, largely due to the influx of international students.
Switzerland to host US-mediated peace talks on Sudan
This content was published on
The United States announced that Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces are set to hold peace talks in Switzerland in mid-August.
Stress research: voting campaigns can trigger stress among minorities
This content was published on
Researchers at the University of Zurich showed in a study that they released more stress hormones during the referendum campaign.
Swiss justice minister advocates for greater sovereignty through bilateral agreements
This content was published on
In a networked world, sovereignty can be enhanced by regulating relations with important partners, Jans wrote in a NZZ commentary on Tuesday.
No heat records in sight (yet) despite the ‘dog days’
This content was published on
The dog days—traditionally the hottest days of the year—began on Tuesday. However, the weather service Meteonews predicts that Switzerland is unlikely to see new temperature records in the near future.
Swiss employees to work slightly more in 2023 than in previous year
This content was published on
The long-term trend is different with the weekly working hours per full-time employee decreased significantly, says a report by the Federal Statistical Office.
Consumers still crave chocolate: Lindt & Sprüngli reports higher earnings
This content was published on
Lindt & Sprüngli sold chocolate worth CHF 2.16 billion in the first half of the year. This is slightly more than in the previous year.
This content was published on
Bollinger will succeed Philipp Rickenbacher, who resigned in February after a significant write-down on loans to the Signa Group.
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.