J.K. Rowling Sues Ex-Assistant For $31,000 For Allegedly Stealing Money To Go On A Shopping Spree And Buy Cats
Author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, is suing her former assistant for using her business credit card to go on a shopping spree, also charging that the former assistant had stolen expensive Harry Potter toys and cash, reports E! News.
The ex-assistant in question, Amanda Donaldson, worked for the author from February 2014 until April 2017, and has denied Rowling’s claims in the £24,000 ($31,450) lawsuit. Donaldson told the BBC on Wednesday that Rowling has “not suffered any loss and is not entitled to damages.”
Donaldson was fired for gross misconduct after allegedly misusing the business credit card given to her to make purchases related to business or personal affairs. In the report, Donaldson was accused of making a number of unauthorized purchases, including £1,636 ($2,145) at Starbucks, £3,629 ($4,758) at the cosmetic firm Molton Brown, and £1,200 ($1,573) to buy two cats.
It was also reported that Donaldson took advantage of her position in controlling memorabilia requests from fans to steal a motorized Hogwarts Express worth £467 ($613), a wizard collection worth £2231 ($2,926), and a Tales of Beedle The Bard set worth £395 ($518). The report added that the memorabilia was taken without Rowling’s “knowledge or consent.”
The final claim which Rowling made is that Donaldson stole £7,742 ($10,156)-worth of foreign money from a safe.
A representative for the author confirmed the lawsuit, reported the BBC.
“I can confirm J.K. Rowling has taken legal action against her former personal assistant, Amanda Donaldson, following her dismissal for gross misconduct involving a substantial breach of trust. As the case is not yet concluded we are not able to comment further and there won’t be any comment from J.K. Rowling.”
The case will proceed in front of Sheriff Derek O’Carroll later this year — but it’s not the only reason that Rowling is making headlines of late.
The author spoke out on Thursday against the White House’s suspension of CNN’s Jim Acosta. Acosta’s suspension came after a heated argument between him and Donald Trump — during a news conference on Wednesday — led to an altercation between Acosta and a White House intern, reported TIME.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted about the incident, writing, “We stand by our decision to revoke this individual’s hard pass. We will not tolerate the inappropriate behavior clearly documented in this video.”
Rowling commented on Sanders’ tweet with a George Orwell quote from his book Nineteen Eighty-Four, which tells the story of a totalitarian government that controls every aspect of human life.
“‘And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed — if all records told the same tale — then the lie passed into history and became truth.'”
‘And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth.’ — George Orwell, 1984 https://t.co/SKTAnM3BNP
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) November 8, 2018
