Norton Lawsuit Over

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently denied Victor Horadam’s request for a final appeal, which means the battle over the rights to Andre Norton’s past and future works is over for good.

The appellate court’s decision from late 2008 will stand, which means Norton’s longtime caregiver Sue Stewart will control the copyright to books published during Norton’s life, including royalties on any reprints, while Horadim will receive royalties on any works published for the first time posthumously. Stewart says she is “currently working on several projects involving Andre’s work. Her estate will be making an important announcement in the near future.”

The lawsuits stemmed from confusion over the terms of Norton’s will. The author, who died in 2005, said that Horadam should receive “the royalties from all posthumous publication of any of my works,” while Stewart was named as beneficiary of all other property and assets. Horadam argued that he should receive money from new and reprinted works, while Stewart insisted that Norton meant Horadam to receive royalties only on books published posthumously, with Stewart to receive royalties on books first published in Norton’s lifetime. The judge in the initial trial sided with Horadam, but the appeals court overturned that decision and upheld Stewart’s interpretation.