Lawsuit filed over singer Otis Redding's biography

ATLANTA - A lawsuit has been filed against an Atlanta author who wrote a book about the life of the late singer Otis Redding detailing rumors of drug use, infidelity and a contemplated divorce. <br> <br> Zelma Redding, Redding&#39;s widow, and Phil Walden, Redding&#39;s business manager, filed a lawsuit in Fulton County State Court last week against Scott Freeman, the book&#39;s publisher, St. Martin&#39;s Press, and others. <br> <br> The suit alleges the book ``Otis!: The Otis Redding Story,&#39;&#39; is libelous and interferes with a potential movie that Zelma Redding and Walden have optioned with Universal Studios. <br> <br> The suit also alleged that Freeman, a former Macon Telegraph and News reporter, used information from unreliable sources to ``cause harm to the plaintiffs, to imply Walden was a member of the mob who plotted to kill Redding for insurance money, and that Redding was having extramarital affairs and planned to divorce his wife. <br> <br> The suit claims the book ``is nothing short of lies spun to sell a poorly researched book.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Freeman also failed to interview those closest to Redding although the suit did state that Walden and the Reddings denied repeated requests by Freeman for interviews.