Well, it reads differently to me. It reads like it is a fact that George did this, not just that it appeared to the author that he did something. Now, had he said "George may have felt..." I'd see it is something left open to interpretation, which is what speculation usually is. But the way it's worded in the book is stating that no one should be surprised that George felt as he did because feeling that way is common among abusers.
I do not believe that in this instance JB was careful enough.
But, whether or not George can sue really doesn't matter a whole lot, because he won't.