Lawyer who outed J.K. Rowling as author of “The Cuckoo’s Calling” fined 1,000 GBP

Christopher Gossage, the lawyer who revealed J.K. Rowling as the true author behind the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, has been fined 1,000 GBP by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for his breach of confidentiality. He has also received a written rebuke for “disclosing confidential information about a client to a third party.”

This comes several months after it was reported that Gossage, a lawyer at the London law firm Russells, revealed Robert Galbraith’s identity to his wife’s best friend in a personal conversation. The friend, Judith Callegari, then leaked the information to The Sunday Times via Twitter. Rowling subsequently sued both Gossage and Callegari, and the firm paid an undisclosed substantial amount to The Soldiers’ Charity.

“A new Cormoran Strike thriller is due out in 2014, again listed as authored by the considerably less obscure and even more promising Robert Galbraith,” and we cannot wait to read it.

Do you feel this fine was adequate or not? Let us know in the comments below.

Catherine Lai

I have been a fan of Harry since 2000, a fan of MuggleNet since 2005, and a MuggleNet team member since 2013. I believe in the power of stories to bring people together, and nothing does that quite like Harry Potter. I live in Toronto, Canada.