Regan-HarperCollins Settlement Negotiations Break Down

Posted on March 20, 2007

Settlement talks between ousted publishing maven Judith Regan and HarperCollins have ended, according to Radar Online.

Earlier this year, according to sources, the two parties reached a tentative agreement in principle, whereby Regan would forego a suit and avoid disparaging her former employers in exchange for around $6 million. (According to one source, News Corp. wanted to space the payments out over time to keep Regan on a leash.)

But the deal fell apart nearly three weeks ago for reasons that are unclear. The source close to Regan said one sticking point was control over books in development at Regan Books, which has been temporarily renamed HC. A News Corp. spokesman declined to comment, and Regan's lawyer, Bert Fields, did not reply to a query.

Because no one is commenting, negotiations will probably continue right up until they all have to appear in court to talk about Regan's firing, the O.J. book debacle, whether Regan made anti-Semitic remarks etc. Meanwhile, a roman a clef written by Bridie Clark, a former assistant to Judith Regan, is in bookstores now. Similar to The Devil Wears Prada, Because She Can savages the Judith Regan-like character in the book. She's foul-mouthed, raunchy and vicious -- and that's on a good day.

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