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Warner Books Inc. hired former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White to defend the company in a defamation lawsuit brought by real estate mogul Donald Trump.
Trump claims in his suit that New York Times reporter Timothy O'Brien and Warner Books defamed him in "TrumpNation: The Art of Being Donald" by understating his fortune.
Trump says he confirmed that his net worth was in the billions of dollars, not $150 million to $250 million as in the book.
White is now a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York and leads the law firm's litigation group. "Mr. Trump's libel claim is meritless," White's spokesman, Marvin Smilon, said yesterday in reporting her hiring.
White served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan, Westchester County, and several upstate New York counties, from 1993 to 2002.
Her office won convictions of more than two dozen terrorists in five major trials.
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