Writer sues 'Listener'

Fran Walsh, co-scriptwriter and a producer of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has filed three claims for damages against the NZ Listener and its editor over an article she believes was defamatory.

Ms Walsh, partner of Rings director Peter Jackson, said the article by Frances Walsh, an Auckland freelance journalist, led readers to believe the scriptwriter had written it.

Listener editor Finlay Macdonald has denied the claim, calling the shared name a coincidence.