RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that author John Grisham must stand trial over efforts to track down the sender of a series of crank letters.
The best-selling author of such legal-based potboilers as "The Pelican Brief" and "Runaway Jury" is being sued by a woman who became a target of the amateur sleuthing.
The Washington Post said the court overturned a lower court ruling dismissing the lawsuit filed by Katharine Almy, the mother of a student at the same private school attended by Grisham's son.
The younger Grisham played baseball for Coach Alan Swanson, whose wife received the same anonymous letters alleging infidelity that Grisham received.
Almy sued after learning that Grisham and Swanson filched confidential school records she had filled out so they could compare the handwriting.
The Post noted that the phantom, letter-writer was never identified.
