Author Files Plagiarism Lawsuit Against Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Elisabeth Hasselbeck
The author of a health book has filed a plagiarism lawsuit against Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
"This week a claim was filed with regard to my book, The G-Free Diet," Hasselbeck said Wednesday on The View. "I assure you that the allegations are without merit, and are being handled appropriately."
Susan Hassett, a self-published author from Massachusetts, accused The View co-host of swiping parts of her book, Living with Celiac Disease, the Associated Press reports.
Hasselbeck recently released The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide, which has landed on several bestseller lists. Those affected by Celiac disease can't digest gluten, a protein from rye, wheat and barley. Hasselbeck discovered she had Celiac during her stint on the second season of Survivor.
In her lawsuit, Hassett said she sent Hasselbeck a copy of her book with a personal note last year after the host revealed that she suffered from the illness. Hassett also claims Hasselbeck's book "includes dozens of paraphrased as well as word for word regurgitations of phrases" from her own.
Hasselbeck and Center Street, an imprint of her book's publisher, Hachette, issued a joint statement about the lawsuit.
"Neither Center Street nor Elisabeth Hasselbeck has been served with the Complaint in this action," the statement says. "However, there is no basis for the allegations in the Complaint as published in the press. Ms. Hasselbeck worked diligently and tirelessly on her book and is disappointed in this attempt to discredit her work and her ability to bring this important message to the public."
A lawyer for Hassett declined to comment for the Associated Press.