A recent article in The Wall Street Journal linked the illicit trade of looted antiquities to a prominent art family with galleries in New York and Geneva.
Well, blasting the allegations as an “outrageous libel” on Monday, the dealer at the heart of that story filed a defamation lawsuit against the Rupert Murdoch-owned paper.
Hicham Aboutaam, the owner of the Manhattan-based Electrum gallery, sued the Journal’s corporate parent Dow Jones and Company in New York County Supreme Court.
“For months in early 2017, The Wall Street Journal made clear that it was relying on false information and non-existent or unreliable sources to cobble together a story purporting to link plaintiff’s business activities to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,” his 30-page complaint states.
If this turns out to be true, what a mess the Journal has made. Should be interesting to see how this one plays out … could it be, more Fake News?