P.C. & Kristin Cast sued by former assistant

The authors of the “House of Night” series of books are being sued in a Tulsa court for defamation and invasion of privacy.

A lawsuit filed alleges Tulsa-based authors P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast published defamatory statements about a former assistant in their latest novel.

The lawsuit alleges Erin Bates, a former student and assistant of P.C. Cast was written into the series of Tulsa-based books using her real name. The suit says P.C. Cast publicly acknowledged the character Erin Bates was a real person in November 2011.

The suit says Bates appeared in each of the ten “House of Night” novels, but in the most recent one the character was made to appear promiscuous, heartless and mean. The suit alleges the book is defamatory to the real Erin Bates and puts her in a bad light in the public.

Bates is suing the Casts and the publishing company for damages in excess of $75,000.