‘The Tell’ lawsuit: Court keeps ‘Jane Doe’ identity sealed in Griffin memoir case

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - A lawsuit filed against Amarillo native and author Amy Griffin in March has new developments and a scheduled hearing.

Griffin is a venture capitalist and socialite who published a bestselling memoir, “The Tell”, in 2025.

The memoir tells of Griffin’s experiences as she undergoes a controversial type of therapy to recover suppressed memories of sexual abuse by a teacher at an Amarillo middle school in the 1980s.

The story and its author were celebrated and promoted by celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Jenna Bush Hager.

In September, an explosive in-depth investigative article done by The New York Times raised questions as to the events described in the memoir.

One person interviewed by the Times was a former classmate of Griffin who told reporters that she was sexually abused by a different teacher at the same middle school she attended with Griffin.

The classmate said that the events described in “The Tell” are similar to the sexual abuse she experienced.

Last month, the classmate filed a lawsuit against Griffin in California court.

Identified only by a pseudonym, Jane Doe, the lawsuit seeks damages for invasion of privacy, publication of private facts and false light, infliction of emotional distress, among others.

Griffin is named in the lawsuit along with Sam Lansky, the ghostwriter for “The Tell”, and several others.

In the complaint, Jane Doe sets forth a timeline of events wherein she describes the sexual assaults at the school, her knowledge of Griffin, and how she was contacted by Griffin while she lived in California years later.

The court documents say that she learned of the book when the New York Times contacted Jane Doe about Griffin’s memoir.

Recognizing the similarities in the passages describing her sexual abuse and began to seek representation, states the complaint.

Last week, Griffin filed several motions, including an Ex Parte application for expedited discovery.

The core argument made by Griffin is that because Jane Doe’s identity is unknown to her, she could not adequately prepare a defense for the allegations against her.

The motion in itself was a request for the court to allow Griffin’s counsel to bypass a waiting period set by law and get information directly from Jane Doe.

In this, it would likely result in Jane Doe’s true identity becoming part of the public court record.

Jane Doe’s attorney, Zachary Rosenblatt, addresses this in a declaration filed last week.

Rosenblatt informed the court that Jane Doe was prepared to disclose her identity to Griffin under a protective order, which would prevent it from becoming part of any public court record.

Sexual assault victims and minors are allowed to be protected under a pseudonym in court filings.

In a hearing last week, the court denied Griffin’s motion and Jane Doe’s identity remains under seal.

The next court hearing is set for July, according to court records.