'Fifty Shades Of Grey' e-book cheating scandal: Aussie woman to shell out AU $14 million for her former business partner
It's Fifty Shades of Fraud! An Australian woman who helped publish an e-book of the popular erotic novel, “Fifty Shades of Grey,” by British author E. L. James was ordered by an American court on Wednesday to shell out $10 million ( AU $ 14 million) for a Texas woman because she was “defrauded” of royalties.
The Australian resident Amanda Hayward, CEO of independent NSW publishing company The Writer’s Coffee Shop, was ordered to set aside $10.7 million for her former business partner Jennifer Pedroza once their attorneys settle on the amount, including attorney fees, court officials said, according to BBC.
"We have been pleased with everything since the jury verdict," Pedroza's attorney Mike Farris said.
Pedroza originally published the “Fifty Shades of Grey” trilogy as an e-book and print-on-demand book when she was working with The Writer’s Coffee Shop. According to court papers, Pedroza was cheated by Hayward out of her share of royalties when she was made tosign an agreement that gave up her claim to her share of the royalties. Hayward herself had sold the deal to Random House for publishing the e-book on the Internet.
The jury also acknowledged Pedroza as one of the four original owners of The Writer’s Coffee Shop and said that Hayward had cheated her by re-structuring her deal, so she would not have to share the money she received from Random House with Pedroza.
However, Hayward's attorney David Keltner is planning to re-appeal the court's decision. Pedroza originally filed the lawsuit in May 2014, seeking an amount over $1 million.
