'Promise' Author, Publisher Shocked at Suit
Suit: Salt Lake Tribune 11Nov99 A2
By Kelly Kennedy: Salt Lake Tribune

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- LDS author Dean Hughes, and his publisher, Church-owned Deseret Book, were shocked on Tuesday when decorated POW Gene Jacobsen filed suit against them over Hughes' "Children of the Promise" series of books. Jacobsen is portrayed in the books, which profile an LDS family as it copes with World War II.

"I'm in shock that [Jacobsen] has filed a lawsuit against me," said Hughes, who is also a BYU English professor. "But I do want to say I have a lot of respect for Mr. Jacobsen." Hughes maintains that Jacobsen knew that his story would be portrayed in the books and gave his permission. Deseret Book president Ronald Millett points out that the series thanks Jacobsen for the story and the second book in the series is even dedicated to Jacobsen. "It's a sad occurrence and we hope we can resolve it for both parties," Millett said.

Jacobsen's attorney, Brent Hatch, says that Jacobsen isn't interested in money, even though Hughes and Deseret Book are said to have made about $1 million on the book. Instead, they are worried about future fictional accounts of Jacobsen's life.