I agree that Fletcher filed the lawsuit to cover the launch of his publishing enterprise--both Ann and I thought so from the beginning.
The lawsuit was originally filed in support of a preliminary injunction, demanding that defendants (me, Ann, and Jim) cease and desist from all statements about Fletcher and his companies, and remove all our remarks and warnings about him. Because of improper service on me and Ann (I didn't get served until one hour before the injunction hearing, which was being held in Boston, two hours' travel time away from me; and Ann didn't get served until three months later), the injunction hearing was never held, but the lawsuit was allowed to go forward.
My guess is that Fletcher never had any intention of prosecuting the lawsuit. All he really wanted was the injunction, in order to shut us up long enough for him to get the publishing enterprise off the ground. The lawsuit (which was incredibly sloppily and carelessly written, with exhibits that in many cases didn't support the allegations) was hastily thrown together because to ask for an injunction, you have to have a supporting lawsuit. Once the injunction was off the table, he was stuck with the lawsuit. I also don't think he expected us to respond as strongly as we did. It really tickles me to imagine his dismay when he got our long, extremely detailed interrogatories and discovery demands, and realized how much we actually knew about him.
Another amusing irony: through his various aliases, he'd been denying for some time that "Robert Fletcher" was still with the company. However, he couldn't file the lawsuit under a fictitious name--so in order to sue us, he had to out himself.
Speaking of "The Strange Loves of Martha Ivery"...her rap sheet (which is extensive) includes bigamy. An especially horrifying crime, if you've ever seen her photo.
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