Fuzzy math and big money go to court

How would you like it if a book that suggested you were worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 million to $250 million, hit the sales racks? Most of us would be flattered, or entertained, I suspect. Many of us would be left scratching our heads wondering how the figures got so inflated. But if you're Donald Trump and the book is about you, and your public position is that you're net worth is north of $7 billion, you just might be miffed. In fact, you might sue.

When the dollar values get this big, it can be quite a process to get to the bottom line and establish a real value of the exact wealth in question. There's no surprise there. But mix in some emotion, maybe a little bruised ego, and a potentially incendiary book title, and things can get litigious in a hurry.

The Wall Street Journal's blog page explains the particulars of this case reasonably well. You might want to take a peek at the post titled, “Donald Trump Loses Lawsuit Appeal.” It's a fair bet that Mr. Trump was no more excited about that headline than he was the original suggestion that his wealth was substantially less than he'd preferred the public assume it to be. But there you have it. Being a celebrity isn't all caviar and champagne.