John Gray Sues Blogger?

Last year I reported on how the credentials of John Gray have been questioned. Gray's book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus have made him an international celebrity, and that has probably been helped by readers' assumptions about his credentials and education background. Now, however, Gray is suing a blogger for disputing that education.

Gavin at Gavin's Blog called Gray a "fraud" because "The relationship guru who constantly promotes himself as 'Dr. John Gray' and lists a 'Ph.D.' has only one accredited degree, a high school diploma. Neither his BA nor his MA is from an accredited institution of higher education."

Gray's lawyers contend that Gray "received his Ph.D. from Columbia Pacific University ("CPU") in 1982. The school then, and continued to be for the next 15 years, a State of California-approved university." Yes, California-approved. Not accredited, apparently which is the key. On the other hand, the libel suit isn't based on that, but based on Gavin calling Gray a "fraud."

Is Gray a fraud? As Cult News reported, "John Gray is a professional member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), which he prominently lists on his bio. However, the ACA requires its professional members to have at least a Masters degree accredited by CHEA." I don't get the impression that Gray's degrees come from any institution accredited by CHEA. If he knew about the requirement, joined despite not meeting it, and knew that he would get away with that because the ACA relies on the honor system, then one might be able to argue that Gray is a fraud.

On the other hand, proving any of that in a court of law would be very difficult and Gavin may have to retract his original evaluation. It seems that the best way to avoid running afoul of things libel law is not to say or suggest that someone like Gray isn't what he claims to be but, rather, isn't what he might appear to be to some people. The former allegation might be libelous. The latter, however, shouldn't be - after all, I'm not necessarily claiming that the mistaken appearance is necessarily Gray's fault. I'm not accusing Gray of anything.

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