Posted on 09/12/2003 8:35:25 AM PDT by FourPeas
Lawsuit over 'Chicken Soup' story is settled Friday, September 12, 2003 By Ted Roelofs
FREMONT -- Jane Jibson recalls the day she learned she was part of "Chicken Soup for the Sister's Soul." In a story in the book, a woman named Jane is described as a "wild child" who loved to smoke and drink, was expelled from school and got pregnant as a teen. The author: Jibson's half-sister. "I couldn't comprehend that she was talking about me. That's not me," said Jibson, 54. "I have never been expelled from any school. I have never been a drinker in my life. I tried a cigarette once and got burned," the Newaygo County woman said. Though still riled about that portrait, Jibson feels vindicated after settling a defamation lawsuit against Chicken Soup Enterprises and the author, Deborah Blackmore, for $35,000. "Chicken Soup for the Sister's Soul" is part of a juggernaut series of inspirational stories that has sold more than 70 million books in the past decade. Blackmore wrote that she "tried to toe the line as the perfect daughter who would never disappoint. This no-win situation came to a crisis with Jane's teen-age pregnancy and yet another little girl was born." The story said Jibson was expelled from school for "smoking, drinking and chasing around town after curfew." Blackmore and Jibson have the same father but grew up in different families, Jibson as an only child raised in Ann Arbor and Blackmore among five other sisters. An attorney for the defendants, Laurie Michaelson, said the settlement in federal court in Grand Rapids offers "absolutely no admission of liability. This was settled to void further litigation and to let the families go on with their lives." Blackmore of Texas, who was paid $300 for the story, could not be reached for comment. Jibson said they have no contact with each other. The story, "The Seventh Sister," is about a family reunion. It closes with Blackmore writing, "Number One Daughter, the Seventh Sister," on the back of Jibson's T-shirt. In court documents, Michaelson said an editor reviewed the story for "technical and grammatical corrections." "The authors of the individual stories that appear in the Chicken Soup series are advised that they are responsible for verifying the accuracy of the factual details," she said. Jibson's last name is not in the book, but her lawyer, Ralph Reisinger of Grand Rapids, said there are obvious links to her identity. The author refers to the disease, retinitis pigmentosa, that has made Jibson legally blind. The story also names Ginger, a guide dog that gained widespread attention when it saved her from a potentially deadly traffic accident in Fremont in 1997. Contrary to the book, Jibson said she was not a party animal. "The sad thing is, I never went to one party in high school," she said. Jibson said she was a Sunday school assistant at her church and volunteered in the children's ward at University of Michigan Medical Center. She got married at 17 and gave birth to two children during the marriage. Jibson has been married the past 17 years to a case worker for the Michigan Family Independence Agency. She works at home transcribing medical documents. Jibson makes her way around town with the help of a guide dog named Roxie. Ginger is retired. Although Jibson believes that people who know her in Fremont were skeptical of the account, she wonders about those who don't. "It's a small town. Once you slap a label on somebody it always sticks," she said. Beyond the settlement, Jibson said she would have expected the people behind the Chicken Soup series to admit the mistake. "It would have felt better if Chicken Soup ever apologized," she said.
The Grand Rapids Press
Hardly damning. Millions have RP, and Ginger happens to be right up their with Fido as a generic dog name. Interesting that it was settled. It doesn't appear that the public would make any connection between the two people.
If I wrote a story, and included a character from my high school years (but not specifically), how would they pursue a claim? If I say "John was a football player who did drugs, screwed sheep, and ate cow dung", but John was really a church going band member, who's harmed? John is not identified in actuality, and the general public doesn't even know who the heck he is.
She wrote about her sister named Jane with retinitis pigmentosa, and in fact she does have a sister named Jane with RP and a guide dog named Ginger.
You are right. A John with those habits would be known far and wide and not confused with anyone.
I understand that, but did anyone know they were sisters? Were people approaching Jane and taunting her for being a slut in high school? Just seems weird...For all I know, the guy who created the vile Newman character on Seinfeld had me in mind. As long as no one else knows this, I fail to see the harm.
Hey, I love my mama!
I would be really, really upset if I was suddenly de-mama'd! ;^)
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