Elder Abuse Case against Lee Harper Being Investigated

Just last month, the world rejoiced after famed author Harper Lee announced she will be releasing her second novel in July. Following the famous “To Kill a Mockingbird”, her new book, “Go Set a Watchman” is highly anticipated. However, a new report cites a claim of elder abuse against Lee, which many fear will have an impact on the publication of her new novel.

Of course, everyone is concerned about the allegations but devoted fans also worry about “Go Set a Watchman” being affected negatively. According to the report, the State of Alabama is currently conducting a claim that the 88-year-old author was the victim of elder abuse, this following at minimum, one complaint that Lee might have been too ill to give full permission for the upcoming book’s release.

The investigation was prompted this past February after Lee, along with several friends and workers at the assisted living facility where she lives were spoken to by state investigators. As far as the book, an anonymous source close to the investigation said that Lee had no trouble understanding questions being posed and that she answered everything with a sound mind.

Even one of her closest friends, Wayne Flynt, said that he had no reason to believe that Lee could not move forward in having “Go Set a Watchman” published. However, he did admit that on occasion, she had lapses in memory. In fact, there were a couple of times when he spoke to her about the new novel yet she seemed to be unaware it was written.

According to Michael Morrison, president and publisher with HarperCollins, he and Lee met earlier this year and at that time, her mental state was fine. He went on to say that Lee was in excellent spirits and that the two spoke in detail for a long period about her second novel, as well as the scheduled date of publication. He added that during his meeting, Lee was gracious, intelligent, and humorous.

Although no one is certain how the claim of elder abuse will impact publication of “Go Set a Watchman”, with this being her first book in 55 years and as the author of “To Kill a Mockingbird”, impending news of the release quickly placed the novel in the top spot on Amazon.com’s bestseller list.

There are some people who worry that “Go Set a Watchman” will be somewhat disappointing, following her first huge publication. However, there are many others who are excited and strongly believe it will be everything expected and more.

Since this second novel was first announced, rumors of Lee being exploited by her attorney and publisher have been circulating, especially since the book was rejected decades ago by other publishers.