Controversial publisher Judith Regan, whose plan to publish a book by O.J. Simpson called "If I Did It" ignited a firestorm of criticism, was fired for making anti-Semitic remarks in an argument with a colleague, a publishing source said on Monday.
The source confirmed a report in The New York Times that said Regan's sudden departure on Friday came after she made the comments in an argument with a Jewish lawyer for HarperCollins, a division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. empire and the publisher of the Regan Books imprint.
The Times said shortly after the remarks were made, Murdoch declared he would not tolerate "that kind of behavior" and allowed HarperCollins chief executive Jane Friedman to fire her just as News Corp. held its Christmas party for employees.
Regan, who specialized in tell-all celebrity books, including that of porn star Jenna Jameson, was already engaged in talks about her next job, although The Wall Street Journal said she had hired Hollywood hardball attorney Bert Fields to represent her.
The Journal quoted Fields as saying, "They've chosen war and they will get exactly that." Fields was not immediately available for further comment.
What has surprised publishing circles is that Regan was not fired for the Simpson fiasco, which caused Murdoch to personally dump the book and a companion television project.
It was a rare time that the media baron had been forced publicly to backtrack from a decision, but since he had approved of the Simpson project, he did not hold Regan responsible and it appeared her job was safe.
Regan had arranged for a ghostwritten account by Simpson on how he would have killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman if he had committed the crime.
Simpson, who was found not guilty of their murders in a sensational criminal trial, has always denied that he killed the two even though a civil court held him liable for the crimes and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to the families.
Regan's dismissal raises questions about the future of Regan Books, even though an associate has been named to take her place.
In a statement HarperCollins said, "Any future decisions relating to the imprint name or the publication of unpublished books will be addressed at the appropriate time."
Reagan had been planning to publish a fictional first-person account of New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle's life and wild times. The book has come under intense scrutiny and a spokeswoman for HarperCollins declined to discuss its future.