J.K. Rowling’s former assistant ordered to repay $25,000 for unauthorized purchases

A Scottish court has ordered Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling’s former personal assistant to pay the author almost $25,000 as reimbursement for unauthorized purchases she made with Rowling’s credit card, the BBC reports.

Rowling had sued Amanda Donaldson, who worked for the author for more than three years, claiming Donaldson used Rowling’s credit card to purchase a wide variety of items, including an espresso machine, stationery, coffee and baked goods. Donaldson also used the card to withdraw more than $1,500 in cash and over $10,000 in foreign currency, Rowling alleged.

Donaldson claimed that the purchases were all for Rowling and were all authorized.

Sheriff Derek O’Carroll ruled that Donaldson’s use of the card was unauthorized and that she must repay Rowling with interest for the purchases.

“The sheriff accepted the evidence of the pursuer, her husband and her other witnesses as entirely credible and reliable,” the judgment against Donaldson read. “By contrast, the sheriff did not accept the defender’s evidence as either credible or reliable. He found that her evidence was a conscious fabrication.”

Rowling had also accused Donaldson of taking a variety of Harry Potter-themed items without permission, but the court ruled there wasn’t sufficient evidence to hold Donaldson responsible.

O’Carroll ruled that Donaldson had “shown herself capable of acting utterly dishonestly,” the Guardian reports.

“Some of the defender’s evidence was inherently implausible or occasionally quite bizarre,” he said.

Rowling’s representatives issued a statement saying that the author was satisfied with the court’s ruling.

“From the outset Ms. Rowling made it clear that the decision to take this matter to court was a last resort and not for her personal benefit, but rather to protect the reputation of her existing staff, and to make sure Ms. Donaldson is not in a position to breach the trust of another employer,” the statement read. “Terms of the recovery will be decided in due course, and the money owed will be donated to J.K. Rowling’s charity Lumos.”

Lumos seeks to find homes for children confined to orphanages and similar institutions.