Link via Drudge to Newsday: Gary Condit has sued writer Dominick Dunne for $11 million -- for slander over comments Dunne made on tv and elsewhere during the Chandra Levy disappearance.

" Former Rep. Gary Condit sued Dominick Dunne for $11 million on Monday, claiming the author slandered him in interviews about the Chandra Levy case. Dunne "made false and defamatory statements accusing (Condit) of involvement in the crimes of kidnapping and murder," said the lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan."

"The suit cited radio, television and newspaper interviews in which Dunne linked Condit to the disappearance of Levy. Dunne "transformed an allegation of sexual misconduct into criminal accusations," said Condit's attorney, L. Lin Wood."

Lin Wood is the excellent Atlanta libel attorney who has been representing John and Patsy Ramsey in their civil suits--successfully, we might add.

Who will represent Dunne? Dan Petrocelli, who successfully sued OJ in the (civil) wrongful death case? Maybe, but then again, maybe not as he later represented ex-cop Steve Thomas who wrote a book accusing the Ramseys of killing their daughter and Lin Wood prevailed and got a settlement from Thomas (paid by his publisher) in that case. From the Denver Post on August 9, 2002:

"The libel suit brought by John and Patsy Ramsey against former Boulder police detective Steve Thomas is over. The case, which was settled in May, was formally dismissed on Wednesday, said Ramsey attorney Lin Wood. 'Obviously, the Ramseys are pleased with the settlement and are glad the case was successfully resolved in their favor,' Wood said."

"John and Patsy Ramsey sued Thomas for libel and defamation in March 2001 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. The civil suit said Thomas made false claims about the couple in a book he co-wrote titled 'JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation' and during interviews promoting the book. Publisher St. Martin's Press and co-author Don Davis were part of the settlement, Wood said."

"The lawsuit sought $ 80 million in damages, but Wood declined to disclose the amount paid. 'The terms of the settlement, including the amount, are confidential,' he said. The book theorized that Patsy Ramsey killed 6-year-old JonBenet during a fit of rage in their Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996, and that John Ramsey helped his wife cover it up by making the death look like a botched kidnapping. Thomas, who left the Boulder Police Department in 1998 over frustrations with the unsolved case, could not be reached for comment."

"His attorney, Dan Petrocelli of Los Angeles, who won a $ 30 million civil verdict against O.J. Simpson after Simpson was acquitted in the slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole, and a friend, Ron Goldman, also could not be reached for comment Thursday."

We'll stay on top of this as more details come out. Findlaw will undoubtedly have the full text of the Condit/Dunne suit up shortly. Look for it here.