James Frey, publisher settle lawsuit

CNN.com ^ | Sept 7, 2006 | CNN.com

[dayglored]

James Frey, publisher settle lawsuit

NEW YORK (AP) -- It's payback time for disgraced memoirist James Frey and his publisher, Random House Inc.

Under a tentative legal settlement, readers who said they were defrauded by Frey's best-seller, "A Million Little Pieces," can claim refunds, an agreement called unprecedented -- and understandable -- by a leading publishing attorney.
...

Readers who bought "A Million Little Pieces" on or before January 26, the day Frey and his publisher acknowledged that he had made up parts of the book, would be eligible for a refund of the full suggested retail price, regardless of discounts or special sales.
...

To receive refunds -- $23.95 for the hardcover, $14.95 for paperback -- consumers will have to submit a receipt or some other proof of purchase: for the hardcover, page 163; for the paperback, the front cover. They will also need to sign a sworn statement that they bought the book because they believed it was a memoir.

[dayglored]

This settlement strikes me as immensely odd, and probably dangerous. A refund for a book because it contained untruths? Where in the book was the legally-binding guarantee that "everything in this book is true"?

I find this very troubling, at least.

[Enchante]

Where in the book was the legally-binding guarantee that "everything in this book is true"?

Not for this book, I imagine, but there is something close to such a statement before the title page on Dan Brown's "DaVinci Code"..... it's a novel, of course, but he issues a blanket statement attesting to the factual accuracy of the discussions of art, religion, history, etc. in the book.... so in light of this Random House settlement maybe Dan Brown's published is starting to sweat what their liability could be with close to 40 million copies of a fraudulent, dishonest book out there.....

[anthropos]

But Brown's book is also sold as fiction, which immediately gives blanket coverage, I believe. Though in regards to Frey's work, I have to say that it was recommended to me a few years back and I read about 10 pages before screaming "fake!"

[dayglored]

> ... it's a novel, of course, but he issues a blanket statement attesting to the factual accuracy of the discussions of art, religion, history, etc. in the book....

Wow, almost sounds like "Fake but Accurate"! Look out!