Ebook Publishers 'E-void' Antitrust Trial with Settlement Offer

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A federal judge must still approve the proposal, but three ebook publishers have offered to kick in a total of  $69 million to settle an antitrust suit that alleges they attempted to fix ebook prices.

Attorneys general of 54 states and the District of Columbia filed suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, State of Texas, et al. v. Hachette Book Group et al. (Docket No. 12-cv-6625), claiming that Hachette, along with HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, conspired to "raise the retail price of electronic books"  in violation of the Sherman Act [15 U.S.C. sec. 1] and the Clayton Act [15 U.S.C. secs. 12-27]. The publishers' settlement proposal would reimburse consumers who purchased ebooks from April 1, 2010, to May 12, 2010, at purportedly unreasonably elevated prices, in amounts ranging from 25 cents to $1.32 a book.

If the proposed resolution is accepted by the court, repayment would begin 30 days later. Besides the $69 million to reimburse consumers, the publishers would also bear the burden of legal fees and costs of $7.5 million. Tip of the hat to Courthouse News Service for their coverage of the class action suit.

Wouk This Way

Aharon Meskin, Herman Wouk and Misha Asherov. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Mediabistro.com reports that a new book by 96-year-old best-selling author Herman Wouk is expected to be published this fall by Simon & Schuster.

The Lawgiver, which tracks communications between characters concerning a proposed movie about the Biblical leader Moses, is the latest literary effort by the author of The Caine Mutiny. The Winds of War and Marjorie Morningstar are among Herman Works' Wouks, er, Wouk's works.

Hope Wouk's agent got a hefty advance for its nonagenarian client.

Real Housewife of NJ Ex Brings Real Calif. Libel Suit Against Publisher

Image by Getty Images via @daylifePublisher Simon & Schuster and Steven Prigge, author of  The Naked Truth, the biography of Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member Danielle Staub, have been sued for defamation in Riverside County (Calif.) Superior Court by Staub's former spouse, Kevin Maher, according to the Courthouse News Service.

Maher's libel claim is grounded in pages 141-145 of the biography, which he alleges falsely accuse him of criminal acts of physical abuse against his ex-wife. The complaint alleges the book defames Maher by claiming he behaved "like a crazed animal" "beating the hell out of" Danielle Staub. Other false statements, according to the plaintiff, include that his ex had a restraining order in effect against him, that he was handcuffed by police after the alleged beating, and that he served 18 months in a Pennsylvania jail for confessing to a crime against Staub.

Staub claims that he warned Simon & Schuster in February of this year that he would sue if any falsehoods about him were published in the book. Maher did not name the 48-year-old Staub as a defendant in the suit, so just call him an old romantic. Staub generated controversy of her own this year when she complained that a purported sex tape featuring her was in the possession of Hustler magazine.