Judith Regan to Sue News Corp

The New York Times reports today that, surprise, surprise, Judith Regan intends to fire News Corp., the parent company of Regan’s former employer, publisher HarperCollins, which includes the eponymous ReganBooks, over her termination. According to The Times, Ms. Regan intends to claim that News Corp breached her employment contract when it terminated her. News Corp claimed it terminated Ms. Regan for cause. If in fact cause did exist, News Corp could be excused from paying Ms. Regan under her contract. Given the alleged justification for the firing – that Ms. Regan made anti-Semitic remarks during a phone conversation with a HarperCollins lawyer – this would appear, from an evidentiary standpoint, to be a “he said, she said” problem of proof. Essentially a roll of the dice. Unless News Corp can offer independent documentation that Ms. Regan made anti-Semitic remarks, it would seem that it will have a difficult time defending such a claim.