Frey, publisher agree on refund

Memoirist James Frey and Random House Inc. have agreed in principle to settle lawsuits filed by readers who said they were defrauded by fabrications in Frey’s million-selling book, “A Million Little Pieces,” the publisher said.

“I can confirm that we have an agreement in principle,” David Drake, a spokesman for the Random House imprint Doubleday, said Thursday. “However, it requires court approval and may take several weeks and even months.”

Readers who bought “A Million Little Pieces” on or before Jan. 26, the day Frey and his publisher acknowledged that he had made up parts of the book, would be eligible for a refund of the full suggested retail price, according to a person with detailed knowledge of the settlement.

Manhattan federal court Judge Richard J. Holwell consolidated the lawsuits in June. Lawyers for 10 of the 12 proposed representatives for the class-action suits have accepted the settlement, which calls on Frey and Random House to pay out no more than a total of $2.35 million.