Russell Brand has settled a legal claim of £220,000 related to his failure to deliver two self-help books, a deal finalized before he faced multiple allegations of sexual assault, which he denies.
Brand, 51, had entered into a contract with publishers Pan Macmillan in 2021 for two non-fiction works, with a total payment of £575,000. The agreement was terminated in 2023, shortly after an investigation into allegations of mistreatment was published.
Pan Macmillan sought to reclaim £220,000 for "wasted expenditure" from Brand and his company, Pablo Diablo's Legitimate Business Firm. Brand, who resides in Florida, is in the process of closing this U.K. business, which is also owned by his wife, Laura Brand, 39. He recently sold the historic Crown Inn near Henley-On-Thames, Oxfordshire, which he had planned to convert partly into a recording studio for his online broadcasts.
According to the contract terms, Brand was to receive £75,000 upfront for the first book and £142,000 for the second, with the remaining £179,500 contingent on the completion of manuscripts and promotional work. The first book was due in May 2021, and the second in October of the same year. Pan Macmillan stated that Brand "failed to produce the typescripts for the books at all."
Brand's defense filing indicated he denied owing the money, asserting that the publisher's concerns about allegations against him provided no valid basis for terminating the contract. A High Court order signed in January by Mr Justice Morris confirmed that both parties had agreed to a "confidential settlement agreement."
This settlement comes as Brand is involved in a separate civil lawsuit in U.S. courts, where he faces potential claims for millions in damages over an alleged sex assault that occurred during the filming of the comedy film "Arthur." Brand has denied these allegations.
During a deposition in the U.S. case, Brand testified under oath that during the period in 2011 when the alleged assault occurred, he was "overwhelmed" with love for then-wife Katy Perry and would not have cheated on her. The lawsuit was filed by a woman, identified as 'Jane Doe,' who claims Brand exposed himself to her in view of cast and crew members on the "Arthur" set and later assaulted her in a bathroom.
Brand's legal team has previously argued that while he was portraying a drunk character in the film, he had been sober for eight years at the time and suggested the claimant might have been unable to distinguish acting from reality. The legal proceedings in both the U.K. and the U.S. are ongoing, with Brand set to stand trial in the U.K. in October for separate rape and sexual assault charges, which he also denies.