Reinstatement sought for Grisham lawsuit

DENVER, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- A defamation lawsuit that named author John Grisham as a co-defendant should be reinstated, three former Oklahoma law enforcement officials say.

Former Pontotoc County District Attorney Bill Peterson, former Oklahoma

State Bureau of Investigation investigator Gary Rogers and former bureau criminologist Melvin Hett have appeared in an appeals court in an attempt to revive their dismissed suit, The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman reported Sunday.

U.S. District Judge Ronald White had dismissed the lawsuit against Grisham and the authors of two others books that detailed the 1982 killing of cocktail waitress Debbie Sue Carter.

The three plaintiffs accuse the authors and their publishers of defaming them by allegedly portraying them in a false light in the homicide case.

The Oklahoman said the lawsuit came after Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson, two men convicted in Carter's killing, were cleared of all charges after spending 12 years in prison.