A Republican candidate for the US Senate on Tuesday announced a $100 million lawsuit against the Chicago Tribune for what he characterised as "front-page smears" against his candidacy.
Dr Chirinjeev Kathuria filed the suit against reporter Rick Pearson and the Tribune for "malice aforethought, defamation of character, false and unsubstantiated claims, interference with contractual relationships, and wilful misleading".
Reports in the Tribune October 11 and 12 had said that Kathuria's background was "too good to be true" and that he had exaggerated, and even fabricated, parts of his resume.
"It's ridiculous, an example of dirty Chicago politics," Kathuria told rediff.com "Usually to get a front page expose you have to murder or rape somebody.
"The worst they can say about me is that one of my companies didn't do so well."
He said the paper focused only on his failed business ventures while ignoring his many achievements.
"The Chicago Tribune and its reporters must be held accountable," Kathuria said. "This type of irresponsible trash reporting will never stop, unless someone takes a stand against it."
The bulk of the reporting against Kathuria appeared in a October 12 story, which said, among other things, that he was not registered to vote in DuPage County.
"That is only one of the striking inconsistencies surrounding Kathuria, whose campaign is built on highly embellished claims of success as an international business tycoon."
Kathuria said the report was an example of "character assassination".
"Obviously people are beginning to see me as a threat," he said. "They must think I have a real shot (at the Senate)."
