Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who co-stars on the talk show The View, brought up the plagiarism charges that have been brought against her. The charges are against her book, The G Free Diet - A Gluten Free Survival Guide, which was published in May of 2009.

According to People.com, the author who is trying to sue Elisabeth Hasselbeck for three million dollars is Massachusetts author Susan Hassett. Hassett says that she sent Hasselbeck a copy of her book, Living with Celiac Disease, in 2008. Along with her book, Susan Hassett sent Elisabeth Hasselbeck a homemade cooking video, message, and a business card. The author says that she offered to discuss her book with Elisabeth Hasselbeck and hoped that she would let viewers know about the disease. People reports that Hassett says she never even received a simple “thank you” from Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

According to Hassett, Elisabeth Hasselbeck stole information from her book and passed it off as her own. Hassett also says that Hasselbeck followed the same format that she used for her self-published book. While Hasselbeck did let viewers know about celiac disease, it was during an episode in which she promoted her own book.

People reports that a statement released on Tuesday by Elisabeth Hasselbeck and the publisher of the book, Center Street, said, “There is no basis for the allegations in the Complaint as published in the press. Ms. Hasselbeck worked diligently and tirelessly on her book and is disappointed in this attempt to discredit her work and her ability to bring this important message to the public.”

If Susan Hassett wins this lawsuit, she has said that some of the money will go towards a camp that she would like to design for children who have been diagnosed with celiac disease. Her lawsuit for charges of copyright infringement against Elisabeth Hasselbeck were filed in Boston.

On Wednesday’s episode of The View, Elisabeth Hasselbeck took a moment to address the issue. She said, “I just want to assure you the allegations are without merit and are being handled appropriately.”

Elisabeth Hasselbeck self-diagnosed herself with celiac disease not long after leaving the cast of survivor. She said on an episode of The View that she suffered from stomach problems for years before learning what exactly was causing them. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which sufferers experience an allergy to wheat, barley, and rye.

Only time will tell if the book was plagiarized. If the book was really copied “word for word” as Susan Hassett claims, it should not take too long for a jury to solve this copy infringement case, however.

What would Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s fate on The View be if she were guilty? Many viewers are often fed up with the opinionated talk show co-host. Rumors have circulated in the past which said that she would be leaving, but they never proved to be true.

• No related posts