Bankrupt, ex-PA who defrauded JK out of £19,000
Rowling: I haven’t seen a penny of money I’m owed
A FORMER personal assistant to JK Rowling who was ordered to repay almost £19,000 she fraudulently obtained from the author has declared herself bankrupt.
Amanda Donaldson, 36, was told to pay damages to the writer after a sheriff ruled she spent money on a company credit card and took cash from a safe without permission.
It has now emerged that Donaldson, of Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, was made bankrupt earlier this week with total debts of £61,316.
Miss Rowling said she had not received a penny of the money owed to her, which she had intended to donate to her children’s charity Lumos.
Donaldson applied for her own bankruptcy and it was approved by the Accountant in Bankruptcy, Scotland’s insolvency service.
She declared that she had no assets available to pay off creditors. A bankruptcy trustee has been appointed to take control of her finances.
The Harry Potter author sued Donaldson in a civil case at Airdrie Sheriff Court under her married name Joanne Murray after sacking the PA for gross misconduct.
A statement released on behalf of Miss Rowling said: ‘Following the conclusion of the court case, a decree was served on Amanda Donaldson for the recovery of £18,734 which she had fraudulently misappropriated from JK Rowling. This money, once recovered, was intended to be donated to Ms Rowling’s charity Lumos. Ms Rowling has not, thus far, received any of the monies due.
‘Ms Donaldson’s subsequent declaration of bankruptcy details debts that are far in excess of the sum due to Ms Rowling. Ms
‘Persistent brazen dishonesty’
Rowling hopes that in taking action against Ms Donaldson and highlighting her fraudulent behaviour, she has stopped her defrauding or breaching the trust of anyone else.’
The civil hearing was told how Donaldson, who worked for Miss Rowling between February 2014 and April 2017, treated the job as a ‘blank cheque’ and bought a host of luxury items.
Sheriff Derek O’Carroll found in Miss Rowling’s favour and ordered Donaldson to repay the £18,734.
Donaldson denied all wrongdoing, insisting that the money had been used to buy items for Miss Rowling’s personal and business use.
But the writer’s husband Dr Neil Murray described the former personal assistant as a ‘good liar’ when he gave evidence.
The sheriff ruled that Donaldson had obtained the money through ‘fraudulent misrepresentation’ and had shown ‘persistent brazen dishonesty’. Sheriff O’Carroll said that he had no doubts over the ‘credibility’ and ‘reliability’ of the evidence given by the author and her husband.
He added that Miss Rowling had given her evidence ‘in a thoughtful, considered, measured, accurate, honest and reliable fashion’.
The court heard Donaldson spent £823 at Bibi Bakery, £1,482 with luxury candle company Jo Malone, £264 in Boots, £115 in Costa Coffee and £3,629 with soap and fragrance firm Molton Brown.
Other spending included £117 at M&S Simply Food, £2,139 in card shop Paper Tiger and £1,636 at coffee chain Starbucks.
She also bought two cats worth £1,200 and took £7,742 of foreign money from a safe.
Donaldson declined to comment last night.