Northwestern settles with ex-employee, will jointly publish book about infamous Chicago murder
Less than a year after filing a federal copyright infringement suit against a former employee writing a book about an infamous Chicago murder, Northwestern University has agreed to settle the suit.
In the suit, Northwestern said it had compensated Nina Barrett, both in her paycheck and with fellowship funding, for writing about the 1924 murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks by University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. And, the federal complaint alleged, Barrett had agreed that Northwestern University Press would publish the book. However, when Barrett, who now operates an Evanston, Illinois, bookstore, resigned from Northwestern in December 2013, she took the manuscript with her.
Under the settlement, Northwestern and Barrett will jointly publish the book and share the copyright, the Chicago Tribune (reg. req.) reports.
Defended by legendary attorney Clarence Darrow in one of the most publicized trials of the 20th century, Leopold and Loeb made international headlines in part because of the wealth of the families involved and in part because of the seeming senselessness of the crime.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Northwestern sues ex-employee, says author took book she was paid to write on infamous murder case”
