https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jul/31/sherrilyn-kenyon-drops-shakespearean-plot-case-against-husbandFantasy author of the Dark-Hunter novels had brought the $20m claim against her husband and two members of staff in January
Alison Flood
Wed 31 Jul 2019 16.51 BST
Bestselling fantasy author Sherrilyn Kenyon has dropped the case against her husband in which she had accused him of poisoning her and pursuing a “Shakespearean plot against her” and her career.
Kenyon, author of the Dark-Hunter urban fantasy series, sued her husband, Lawrence R Kenyon II, and two members of staff for up to $20m (£16.4m) in January. The suit, which was filed in Tennessee, alleged that Kenyon II and one of their assistants “would force her to eat and became enraged any time she failed to consume”, producing symptoms including stomach cramps, tachycardia and hair loss. The author alleged that she had been experiencing symptoms since 2015.
“It was unclear to [Sherrilyn Kenyon] why her husband … would orchestrate this Shakespearean plot against her when he was lavished with expensive cars and other personal services that could only be obtained through [her] career success,” the lawsuit opened. “[She] now believes that it was more than the profuse insecurity and insidious jealousy of her success, but Lawrence Kenyon stood to gain millions of dollars upon her demise through life insurance and the value of her estate, including her copyrights and trademarks.”
But in a statement on Tuesday, Kenyon II’s lawyer Sean Aiello said that the author had informed the court that she wanted to drop the case. “Facing a motion filed by Mr Kenyon requesting involuntary dismissal and sanctions for filing unsubstantiated claims of far-reaching conspiracies, intentional destruction of Mrs Kenyon’s career, millions of dollars in damages, and attempted murder by poisoning, Mrs Kenyon opted to dismiss all allegations rather than face presenting her case and her outlandish allegations to scrutiny by a jury of her peers.”
No charges had been issued against Kenyon II, who, in a statement through Aiello, thanked “those in his wife’s life who assisted her in reaching the just decision to retract her false allegations. He further hopes that these same individuals will continue to support Mrs Kenyon in getting the assistance she needs and in getting back to what she does best – writing fiction.”
Kenyon responded that the “financial impact this case has had on my family” was her motivation to dismiss the allegations.
“Tabling this lawsuit at the present time allows me to focus my energy and financial resources on my divorce litigation. However, I maintain a strong and steadfast belief in the merits of this case,” she said. “As the great Margaret Thatcher once said: ‘You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.’ I am confident in the facts and evidence of my case and look forward to revisiting this lawsuit at a future time.”
