Sinatra to Seek Retractions From Newspapers : Attorneys Call ‘Doonesbury’ Comic Strip False, Violative of His Rights

Attorneys for Frank Sinatra contend that a recent “Doonesbury” comic strip violated the entertainer’s rights and say that they will seek retractions from newspapers that published it.

John McMeel, president of Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes the strip, said Wednesday that the attorneys asserted in a letter that a “Doonesbury” strip published on June 13 was “false, and violative of Mr. Sinatra’s rights.” The syndicate, which is headquartered in this Kansas City, Mo., suburb, disagrees, he said.

To Take ‘All Steps’

Sinatra’s attorneys said in the letter that they would take “all appropriate steps” to remedy the alleged violation of his rights and would seek retractions from newspapers, McMeel said.

McMeel said that the syndicate did not violate Sinatra’s rights and refused to provide the attorneys with a list of newspapers subscribing to “Doonesbury,” which is created by Garry Trudeau and distributed to about 835 newspapers nationwide.

Six “Doonesbury” installments, published June 10 through June 15, satirized Sinatra’s receiving the presidential Medal of Freedom and his reputed links to alleged organized crime figures. About two dozen newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, did not run the strips on the advice of their attorneys.