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Judge Awards Teacher $11.5 Million in Fifty Shades of Grey Lawsuit

February 2, 2016 Mark Curriden

© 2015 The Texas Lawbook.

From Media Reports

(Feb. 2) – A Fort Worth judge has awarded an Arlington schoolteacher $11.5 million in lost royalties and pre-judgment interest for losing out on her share of a business deal that originally published bestseller erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey in 2010.

Mike Farris
Mike Farris

Dallas attorney Mike Farris is representing Jennifer Pedroza, who sued her former business partner, Amanda Hayward of Australia, in 2014. Pedroza claimed Hayward defrauded her out of royalties when the e-publishing business the two had started together sold the publishing rights of Fifty Shades and its two sequels to Random House in 2012. Pedroza alleged Hayworth took the lion’s share of the cash without Pedroza’s knowledge.

District Judge Susan McCoy’s order comes after a jury ruled in Pedroza’s favor last year. Fort Worth attorney David Keltner of Kelly Hart & Hallman, who represents Hayworth, said his client will appeal the ruling.

For more details on the case, click here for the full article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

© 2014 The Texas Lawbook. Content of The Texas Lawbook is controlled and protected by specific licensing agreements with our subscribers and under federal copyright laws. Any distribution of this content without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.

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Mark Curriden

Mark Curriden is a lawyer/journalist and founder of The Texas Lawbook. In addition, he is a contributing legal correspondent for The Dallas Morning News.

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©2025 The Texas Lawbook.

Content of The Texas Lawbook is controlled and protected by specific licensing agreements with our subscribers and under federal copyright laws. Any distribution of this content without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.

If you see any inaccuracy in any article in The Texas Lawbook, please contact us. Our goal is content that is 100% true and accurate. Thank you.

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