Peter C. Newman arrived for a black-tie Maclean's anniversary gala in Toronto Tuesday night only to find out he was being sued by his old friend, Conrad Black.

Newman was handed a six-page statement of claim upon entering the magazine's 100th anniversary party. The lawsuit is seeking more than $2 million in damages, and accuses the journalist and author of libelling Black.

Black's lawyer, Edward Greenspan, said they had tried for some time to serve Newman with the papers, but were unable to locate him.

It wasn't hard to spot Newman Tuesday, who was wearing a tuxedo and his trademark sailing cap. Greenspan said when they filed the lawsuit, they were hoping he would attend the party.

According to the statement of claim, Black alleges that Newman "falsely and maliciously" accused him of breaking criminal laws, including mail and wire fraud and money laundering.

The comments are contained in Newman's 2004 autobiography, There be Dragons: Telling Tales of People, Passion and Power.

In the chapter on Black, called Black Magic: How Conrad Black became a Weapon of Mass Self-Destruction, Newman mused about Lord Black's "downfall."

Black alleges in the lawsuit he has suffered damages as a result of Newman's defamatory comments.

The statement of claim was filed in Ontario's Superior Court of Justice on Nov. 9.

After Newman received the document, he turned it over to his lawyer, Michael Levine, who was also at the Maclean's party. Levine then turned it over to McClelland & Stewart, Newman's publisher.

"I believe M&S lawyers will be handling the case,'' Levine said.

Newman had flown into London for the Maclean's party. He returned home on the Wednesday, and was not available for comment.

Black is the subject of a criminal investigation by the U.S. District Attorney's Office in Northern Illinois.

He stepped down as chairman of the newspaper company Hollinger International under pressure in 2003, after an internal investigation accused him and other insiders of looting the company's coffers of hundreds of millions of dollars.