Fifty Shades of Grey Publishing Partner Wins Lawsuit

DALLAS, Feb. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In a verdict with blockbuster implications, a jury in the case of Pedroza vs. Hayward and TWCS Operations Proprietary Ltd awarded a victory to Jennifer Lynn Pedroza in a dispute over royalty rights for the publishing phenomenon Fifty Shades of Grey. The jury's verdict was announced today by Ms. Pendroza's attorneys at Vincent Lopez Serafino Jenevein, PC.

The original publisher of the trio of books was The Writer's Coffee Shop, an independent publisher of e-books and print-on-demand books. The plaintiff, Jennifer Pedroza was one of four original partners in the start-up company that published Fifty Shades of Grey. The Writer's Coffee Shop eventually sold the publishing rights to the books to Random House.

Today's verdict confirmed that Jennifer Pedroza was a partner in The Writer's Coffee Shop. The jury determined that fraud had been committed by Ms. Amanda Hayward and TWCS Operations Proprietary when they induced Ms. Pedroza into a Service Agreement, and also deprived her of her share of one of the most successful book deals in history. To date Fifty Shades of Grey has sold more than 100 million copies and is currently on the New York Times best seller list.

Damages will be assessed at a later court hearing after a forensic audit determines Ms. Pedroza's appropriate share of royalties. Ms. Pedroza was represented by the Dallas law firm of Vincent Lopez Serafino Jenevein, PC.