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Regan sued for legal fees

04.03.08

Judith Regan has been sued for legal fees by the firm that prepared her lawsuit against HarperCollins after the publishing company fired her, according to Associated Press.

In court papers, Dreier LLP says Regan reneged on a retainer agreement she signed and then fired the law firm "in a transparent and calculated effort to avoid paying petitioners the agreed upon fee".

After Dreier prepared and filed the lawsuit, court papers say, Regan hired Los Angeles lawyer Bertram Fields to negotiate a settlement with HarperCollins. The terms were not disclosed. After the settlement was final, Regan fired Dreier and refused to pay the firm, court papers say.

The lawsuit names Fields as a defendant and accuses him of tortious interference with the business relationship between Dreier and Regan. Fields said he had not seen Dreier's complaint but the claims as he understood them were "utter hogwash" and had "absolutely no truth in them whatsoever".

"I was called in to help settle the case, and I helped get it settled," Fields said. "I did not replace them as litigation counsel. I had nothing to do with their being fired."

Regan's current attorney, Joseph Cotchett, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Monday, adds Associated Press.

Article on USA Today

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