Though it was supposed to end yesterday, the civil trial between Rosie O'Donnell and Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing will last at least one more day after it was revealed in court that the publisher fudged some numbers to keep O'Donnell at the magazine, according to reports.
New York state Supreme Court Justice Ira Gammerman had ordered that the dual breach-of-contract lawsuits brought about by the demise of Rosie magazine must end yesterday, but in light of the new information it will resume tomorrow after a break for the Veterans Day holiday.
In testimony yesterday, Gruner + Jahr CFO Lawrence Diamond admitted that the company hid losses in order to continue publishing due to a clause in the agreement with O'Donnell that said if the magazine lost more than $4.2 million in a fiscal year she could walk, according to reports including the Associated Press.
During the trial, which began Oct. 30, each side tried to prove that the other violated the agreement that produced Rosie, a joint venture between the two parties that replaced the ailing McCall's magazine in April 2001. Termination of that agreement was announced Sept. 18, 2002, after months of feuding between the two sides over editorial control of the publication. The final issue of Rosie appeared on newsstands in November 2002.
After the termination announcement, G+J struck first, filing a $100 million lawsuit against O'Donnell for pulling out on Oct. 1. O'Donnell countered two days later with a suit against G+J for $125 million.
Once the trial ends, a verdict from Gammerman could take a week to several months, according to reports.
After much mudslinging from both sides, arguments in the civil trial between Rosie O'Donnell and Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing ended yesterday, leaving the decision in dual breach-of-contract lawsuits brought about by the demise of Rosie magazine up to New York state Supreme Court Justice Ira Gammerman.
During the trial, which began Oct. 30, each side tried to prove that the other violated the agreement that produced Rosie, a joint venture between the two parties that replaced the ailing McCall's magazine in April 2001. Termination of that agreement was announced Sept. 18, 2002, after months of feuding between the two sides over editorial control of the publication. The final issue of Rosie appeared on newsstands in November 2002.
After the termination announcement, G+J struck first, filing a $100 million lawsuit against O'Donnell for pulling out on Oct. 1. O'Donnell countered two days later with a suit against G+J for $125 million.
A verdict from Gammerman could take a week to several months, according to reports.
