J.K. Rowling reaches settlement with law firm that revealed pseudonym

Author J.K. Rowling has accepted a settlement from the law firm that revealed that Robert Galbraith was really the Harry Potter author.

Earlier this month, Rowling was forced to admit that she had written the obscure crime novel The Cuckoo’s Calling under a pseudonym after The Sunday Times broke the news. Sales of the novel spiked and the Times eventually revealed that it got the information from a Twitter user. The user told an editor that Rowling wrote the novel, but when asked more questions, the account was deleted.

Days later, the law firm Russells revealed that one of its partners, Chris Gossage, had told his wife’s friend. She was the one behind the Twitter account.

“To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. I had assumed that I could expect total confidentiality from Russells, a reputable professional firm, and I feel very angry that my trust turned out to be misplaced,” Rowling wrote in a statement after the firm apologized.

In London’s High Court on Wednesday, Rowling’s attorney, Jenny Afia, told the judge that Rowling “has been left dismayed and distressed by such a fundamental betrayal of trust,” reports the Telegraph.

Russells apologized again and will pay Rowling’s legal fees. In addition, the substantial settlement will go to the Soldiers' Charity. Rowling had previously said that royalties from The Cuckoo’s Calling would go to the charity after she was outed as the author.

According to THR, Rowling was not at the hearing and financial terms of the settlement were not revealed.

image: Amazon

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