Asbestos Exec. Sues ATLA President Over Alleged Defamatory Statement

NEW CANAAN, Conn. - A former Raytech Corp. executive claims in a recent complaint that he suffered emotional distress when Baron & Budd partner and Association of Trial Lawyers of America President Fred Baron called him a "down-in-the-dirt crook." Smith v. Baron, No. 3:00cv2351 (D. Conn.).

According to the complaint originally filed Nov. 14 in Connecticut state court, Baron made the allegedly defamatory statement in an interview that appeared as part of a June 4 article in The New York Times.

The article noted that the two men continue their fight in court over the assets of the now-defunct Raymark …