This article is based on information from the book "The Greatest Hoax on Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can" by Alan C. Logan, which provides a comprehensive look at Frank W. Abagnale's claims throughout his career. The book is very well researched and provides extensive citations to demonstrate that Abagnale's claims are mostly false or in a few cases, greatly embellished.
Toward the end of the book, Logan goes into detail about some of the numerous lawsuits filed against Abagnale. In one, two men filed a motion to compel answers which Abagnale refused to, defying the court order. The lawsuits ranged from failure to repay loans to the intellectual property of his own fictional life. It is not clear exactly how many lawsuits were filed between 1978 until the present. Below are a few excerpts from the book regarding some of those lawsuits.
There were also plenty of lawsuits on the horizon. Bill Toney. Mark Zinder. And at least two other parties were about to sue him. [..] Through the court, Toney and Rorie filed interrogatories - questions that the defendant, Frank Abagnale, was required to answer and sign under oath. He did not comply. [..] And so Toney and Rorie filed a Motion to Compel Answers. But again, [Abagnale] refused to abide by the court order. He also failed to to make an appearance in person, or by counsel, when Toney filed a Motion for Sanctions for willful failure to comply with the court's requests. (Pages 328 - 329)
Note that Toney and a team of his students worked together to debunk Abagnale's claims for a presentation at a conference. After that, he took it to the next level pursuing a lawsuit and a motion to compel. The fact that Abagnale refused to defend himself is very telling.
Records show that both the doctor and the law enforcement official's wife filed independent lawsuits. (Page 329)
Abagnale had already faced a series of lawsuits by then, including the case filed by Aetna Life and Casualty, among others. This also included individuals who claimed he had failed to repay borrowed money. Like Warren Adams Jr. of Houston, who sued Abagnale (Case #335181) for failure to repay a personal loan for travel expenses amounting to $1,000 (about $4,200 today). Mark Zinder also filed a suit for his losses. (Page 329)
A lawsuit by Mark Zinder is significant as he was Frank's business manager for several years. It took a long time before he realized that he too had been conned, both with Abagnale's lies and borrowing money.
But when officers attended the house on Thornvine Lane, the one-time base of Frank W. Abagnale and Associates, a new owner answered the door. Abagnale had already taken up a new residence in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Page 330)
In addition to dodging court orders, Abagnale showed his character when he moved out of state to avoid scrutiny from the law interested in his business practices.
The records don't show the ultimate outcome; that is, whether or not the unpaid debt to either party was recovered. However, the motions show that the Default Judgment of the court was in favor of the plaintiffs and that both plaintiffs were still looking for their unpaid dough years later. Around that time, in Harris County, he had more than five separate lawsuits against him. Some dragged on for years. In April of 1985, Bill Toney and Frank Abagnale reached a compromise and entered into a settlement agreement - so Toney did not pursue his action further. The terms of this agreement remain confidential. Abagnale never answered his vital questions. (Page 331)
It is interesting that Toney settled out of court, given the strong principals displayed in the book. More so that the settlement was confidential but that is almost guaranteed to be a condition set by Abagnale.
In 1978, Langlois Communications filed a civil lawsuit against Frank Abagnale - suing for their creative intellectual property. Meanwhile, Abagnale continued to pursue a book deal with Grosset and Dunlap and a movie deal with Bud Yorkin in 1979. (Page 373)
What makes this lawsuit interesting is that it was during a formative time of Abagnale's made-up life. This bit is found in a section of the book that explains how Abagnale did not write his own book, the one that truly made him famous and led to the 2002 movie "Catch Me If You Can" starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, directed by Steven Spielberg.