# Billionaire Amy Griffin hits back at claims she stole her story of childhood sex abuse, says she is now being ‘hunted’: sources

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/billionaire-amy-griffin-hits-back-at-claims-she-stole-her-story-of-childhood-sex-abuse-says-she-is-now-being-hunted-sources/
- Published: 2026-11-08T13:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-08T13:26:18+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://pagesix.com/2026/11/08/celebrity-news/amy-griffin-long-suspected-child-abuse-before-mdma-therapy-claims-she-is-now-victim-of-a-hunt-sources/
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Griffin denies taking a classmate’s abuse account for her memoir.
- Both women have filed lawsuits over the dispute.
- The memoir’s account and use of MDMA therapy face scrutiny.

## Summary

Billionaire Amy Griffin has rejected claims that she took a former classmate’s account of childhood sexual abuse for her memoir, *The Tell*. The dispute has become a public and legal battle, putting Griffin’s recovered memories and use of MDMA-assisted therapy under scrutiny.

Former classmate Joleene Altum alleges that episodes in the book, including assaults at a school dance and in a bathroom, happened to her; she also says Griffin approached her in 2019 under false pretences. Griffin denies the claims and has filed a defamation lawsuit against Altum in Nevada, while Altum is suing Griffin, memoir collaborator Sam Lansky and publisher Penguin Random House. The memoir became an Oprah’s Book Club selection and bestseller after its March 2025 publication; a later New York Times investigation raised questions about Griffin’s account, and Altum’s lawyer disputes Griffin’s friends’ account of settlement talks.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.