JACKSON, Miss. -- A Hinds County judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Kathryn Stockett, the author of "The Help," by a woman who claims a character in the book was based on her.
Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green said during a hearing on Tuesday that the lawsuit was filed past the one-year statute of limitations.
The lawsuit was filed by Ablene Cooper, a black woman who worked for Stockett's brother. She claimed a main character in the book, Aibileen, is based on her. Cooper accused Stockett of using her name and likeness without permission.
Stockett's novel was adapted into a film, and "The Help" producers said it has already made more than $35 million at the box office since opening Wednesday.
The Mississippi-made film was based on the relationships between white families and African-American maids in the segregated South of the '60s.
Stockett said she barely knows Cooper, and the book is fiction.
"The truth is that I was living in New York the whole time she worked for my brother. If you add it up, the number of seconds where we've seen each other would be maybe 10 or 15. I met her twice. 'How are you? Goodbye, have a nice day,' " Stockett said.
The lawsuit was filed in February in Hinds County Circuit Court in Jackson, where Stockett grew up and where the novel is set. It asked for $75,000 in damages.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Tuesday, August 16th 2011 at 1:01PM
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