Nov
05
2007
A class action lawsuit was brought on behalf of the readers who purchased James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces. A settlement has been approved reimbursing readers who bought the book before it was revealed that the memoir was fictionalized.
Only 1729 purchasers have availed themselves of the refund opportunity. Random House has reserved $2.35 million to settle pay claims, advertising costs, and attorneys fees. Currently the payout looks like this:
- Readers refunds: $27,348.00
- Lawyers fees: $738,000
- Advertising and settlement costs: $432,000
- American Red Cross, the Hazelden addiction treatment center and First Book donations: $180,000
Advertising for James Frey’s next book: Priceless.
Via ShelfAwareness.
I bought and read that book thinking it was really a true story. Sure, I felt annoyed and a little bit mad when I found out it was all a lie. Certainly not enough to want my money back though. True or not, it was a good read.
Honestly, I felt more betrayed when JR Ward killed Wellsie and the baby.
[...] year in the consolidated cases, Random House put up a $2.35 million settlement fund. The settlement reportedly had a cy pres component requiring unclaimed settlement funds to be paid to the American Red Cross, [...]