Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has accepted a substantial donation to charity in lieu of damages from the British law firm which outed her as the secret writer of The Cuckoo's Calling.
Rowling launched legal action against Chris Gossage, a partner at Russells law firm, for breach of confidentiality after he recently revealed she was the mastermind behind the crime novel, which was released under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
Gossage accidentally leaked the information to his friend Judith Callegari, also named in the lawsuit, who published the revelation on her Twitter.com account, which was subsequently picked up by editors at The Sunday Times.
On Wednesday (31Jul13), a judge at London's High Court ruled in Rowling's favour and executives at Russells were ordered to cover her legal fees and make amends by handing a donation to ABF The Soldiers' Charity, also known as the Army Benevolent Fund.
Rowling's solicitor Jenny Afia said the author, who was not in court, was "dismayed and distressed by such a fundamental betrayal of trust".
A statement from the charity issued after the ruling reads, "The Soldiers' Charity is honoured and thrilled to announce an extremely generous donation from world renowned author, J.K. Rowling. Damages from the litigation case surrounding her unveiling as Robert Galbraith and all global royalties from sales of her book, The Cuckoo's Calling, will be donated to the charity."
The multi-millionaire writer recently announced she would be handing the profits from The Cuckoo's Calling to the organisation for a period of three years, dating from the 14 July 2013 - the day her pseudonym was made public.
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