Crime writer awarded $51m against financial advisers

A federal jury in the US has awarded writer Patricia Cornwell nearly $51m (€38m) in a lawsuit against her former financial management firm and a former principal in the company.

The author, best known for her series of novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, claimed that Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP was negligent in handling her finances, and cost her millions in losses or unaccounted for revenue.

Lawyers for the New York firm and its former principal, Evan Snapper, said there was no money missing from Ms Cornwell’s accounts. They blamed losses on the economic downturn and what they called Ms Cornwell’s extravagant lifestyle, which included Ferraris, helicopters, and a temporary apartment in New York City she rented for $40,000 per month.