Out With A Whimper

And so ends the great Rupert Murdoch funded experiment. There is no such entity as ReganBooks anymore. That which was will be reabsorbed into the host body, leaving the surface of HarperCollins unblemished. The Los Angeles office will close, the staff will return to New York, and there may be a few people getting the sack, so much excess baggage.

What happens to Jane Friedman, though? She was in a position to fire Judith Regan after the disaster that was If I Did It, but Fred Goldman has discovered that Ms. Friedman was unquestionably involved as well, up to her ink-stained fingers. OJ was under contract to write a book that would spell out how he "might have" murdered two people, while examining his "potential" thoughts and feelings towards his ex-wife. And there at the bottom of the official contract sits the autograph of Jane Friedman, giving her stamp of approval to the whole sheaf of shite. Not Judith Regan alone is to blame, apparently, but thus far the surgery to remove the offending growth that was ReganBooks has not completely cured HarperCollins of the disease.

The details of the contract have come out during discovery, and Court TV will undoubtedly follow along, sharing every detail. At present, they are more interested in the legal aspects, touching on the civil suit that Fred Goldman won, and OJ's claims of poverty that have stymied efforts to realize the financial decree of the court. News Corp. said that they had given OJ $880,000, of which 15% went to agent Bret Saxon, even though the dogs in the street know that Fred Goldman was awarded considerable damages and OJ owes him every penny, none of which has yet been paid.

Mr. Goldman has proof that HarperCollins paid out money, and now he has added the publisher to his lawsuit. Firing Judith Regan has not solved Jane Friedman's problems, not now. It's her name on the contract, her authority that started the book in process, and her arse in the hot seat. HarperCollins will now have to defend itself, which will cost money they would prefer to keep. Will Ms. Friedman manage to hang on to her corner office, or will she be the next in line for the corporate guillotine?