One week after the premiere of Netflix’s When They See Us, a miniseries about the wrongful rape conviction of five black and Latino teenagers in New York City in 1989, former prosecutor Linda Fairstein has been dropped by her book publisher.
A spokesperson for Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House, confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Friday that “Linda Fairstein and Dutton have decided to terminate their relationship.” They had no further comment.
After rising to become a top sex-crime prosecutor in Manhattan and prosecuting the infamous Central Park Five case in which five boys said their confessions were coerced by police and detectives, Fairstein went on to become a bestselling crime author. She wrote several books, including Deadfall, Killer Look, Devil’s Bridge, and her most recent novel, Blood Oath, which was published in March.
When They See Us, the Netflix series created by Ava DuVernay, premiered last week on the streaming service and sparked another wave of outcry about injustice in the case, prompting #CancelLindaFairstein to begin trending on Twitter.
“All of Linda Fairstein’s cases need to be reopened immediately. Just as fast as they were willing to throw those innocent boys in jail that’s how fast they need to start this process,” Twitter user @THensons3 wrote.
Fairstein did not immediately respond to a BuzzFeed News request for comment.
Although Dutton confirmed that the two have parted ways, Fairstein’s author page still appears on the Penguin Random House website.
“Linda Fairstein was chief of the Sex Crimes Unit of the district attorney’s office in Manhattan for more than two decades and is America’s foremost legal expert on sexual assault and domestic violence,” the bio reads.
“Her Alexandra Cooper novels are New York Times and international bestsellers which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and she is also the author of the Devlin Quick Mysteries for middle grade readers.”