TORONTO -- The Ontario Supreme Court ordered Friday that a black felt pen be used to delete all references to a millionaire Toronto businessman's wife in thousands of copies of Peter Newman's new book 'The Acquisitors.'
Publishers McClelland & Stewart Ltd. asked 1,200 dealers Thursday to halt all sales of the hardcover book.
A spokesman said the first print run was 100,000 and he believed all copies had already been shipped nationwide.
Carol Rapp, the wife of millionaire Toronto businessman, Mortimer Rapp, has initiated a libel suit because of a reference to her on page 17 of the 517-page book on the nation's leading business executives.
Mrs. Rapp's lawyer, Aubrey Golden, asked the court for an injunction prohibiting sales or further publication of the book with her name in it pending a decision in the libel suit.
In his decision, Mr. Justice W. D. Griffiths ordered the publishers 'to use their best efforts to have the name of the plaintiff covered by black felt pen in any book delivered to stores.'
The judge said also 'any store having notice of this order shall also see that this is carried out.'
He ordered the publishing company not to publish or distribute any further copies of the highly-touted novel pending a decision in the libel suit.
In his application for the injunction, Golden said the statements in the book about Mrs. Rapp were untrue and they held her and her family up to ridicule.
Lawyer Julian Porter -- who is representing the publishers and Newman, the editor of Maclean's magazine -- said he planned to prove the statements were true.
