Publisher Judith Regan testified in the retrial of Bill Cosby on sexual-assault charges in Norristown, PA on Wednesday, supporting Janice Dickinson’s account that she had long claimed Cosby raped her, even though that’s not what her 2002 memoir No Lifeguard on Duty said. “I remember at one point she [Dickinson] told me she’d been raped by Mr. Cosby, drugged and raped, and she wanted to include that in the book,” Regan said on the stand. “And at that time I told her…after conversations with the legal department, without corroboration those sorts of stories would be impossible to publish because of […]
Legal
Former Perseus Executives Sue to Collect Sale Bonuses
In mid-March, the three top former executives of the Perseus Books Group — ceo David Steinberger, cfo Charles Gallagher and cmo Rick Joyce — sued Perseus Books, LLC and Centre Lane Partners, the private equity company that had owned the publisher, in New York State Supreme Court. They are seeking payment of additional stay bonuses and membership share interests due that were to be based on the final “net sale proceeds” from the spring 2016 sales of Perseus Books to Hachette Book Group, and Perseus Distribution to Ingram Content Group. The case is before Judge Barry Ostrager, who had presided […]
Rudin Countersues Lee Estate, Wants to Perform Mockingbird for the Court
Scott Rudin’s production company Rudinplay has countersued the estate of Harper Lee and its representative Tonja Carter in a New York Federal Court, as part of their response to the lawsuit filed against Rudin in March in an Alabama Federal Court looking for a judgment that the planned Broadway adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird departs from the spirit of the novel and alters two its characters, in violation of the license. Rudin’s lawsuit seeks to move the jurisdiction to New York, whose law governs the licensing contract, and asks for “an expedited determination” that the play does not violate […]
‘Boy Who Came Back From Heaven’ Author Sues Tyndale
Alex Malarkey, the quadriplegic boy whose story comprised the 2010 bestseller The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, which was later determined to be a fabrication concocted by his father, has sued Tyndale House for defamation, appropriation of his likeness, and exploitation of a person with a disability, all stemming from the core complaint that the book, was allegedly “based on lies.” According to the 32-page complaint filed in DuPage County, Illinois circuit court (and obtained by Courthouse News) Tyndale House “has made millions of dollars off Alex’s identity and an alleged autobiographical story of his life” but in spite […]
Harper Lee Estate Sues Broadway Producers Over Aaron Sorkin’s Mockingbird Adapation
The forthcoming stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, scripted by Aaron Sorkin and produced by Scott Rudin, is slated to open on Broadway this fall. The production’s opening is now in question after Harper Lee’s estate — represented by Tonja B. Carter — sued Rudin’s production company Rudinplay in an Alabama Federal court, claiming that Sorkin’s script violates an agreement that “the play shall not derogate or depart in any manner from the spirit of the novel nor alter its characters.” Harper Lee licensed Rudin an option to produce a new stage adaptation of MOCKINGBIRD on June […]
Milo Withdraws Lawsuit Against Simon & Schuster
Milo Yiannopoulos’s unintentional comedy show/performance piece known as his breach of contract lawsuit against Simon & Schuster, seeking $10 million, has come to an end. Playing the final, brief role of lawyer, representing himself, Yiannopoulos discontinued his lawsuit with prejudice (meaning this is final) in a filing posted to the docket Tuesday, and dated February 15 by the parties. Simon & Schuster said in a brief statement: “We are pleased that Mr. Yiannopoulos’ lawsuit has been withdrawn, with prejudice, and with no payment from Simon & Schuster. We stand by our decision to terminate the publication of Mr. Yiannopoulos’ book.”