In the US, a federal judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit against Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortenson and his publisher Penguin Group (USA), declaring claims that Mortenson lied in his books ‘flimsy and speculative’. Associated Press reports that the civil case was brought forward by four people who purchased Mortenson’s books and claimed that they were cheated out of approximately $15 each because the books were labeled nonfiction. The plaintiffs asked Judge Sam Haddon to order Mortenson and Penguin to refund all the money collected from the sale of Mortenson’s books, but Haddon ruled that the allegations were ‘fraught with shortcomings’ and the plaintiffs claims to have purchased the books because they thought they contained true accounts were ‘overly broad’ and not supported in the lawsuit. In April, Mortenson was found to have defrauded the charity he helped establish to assist communities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and was ordered by Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock to reimburse the Central Asia Institute with US$1 million (approximately A$965,000).