Here's the abbreviated version so what happened:

Jessica Mousseau hired a writer to do some work for Mousseau's client.

Client claimed work was repetitive.

Writer rewrote the piece.

Mousseau said client wanted to hire writer to write an ebook.

Writer said she was booked; couldn't start immediately.

Writer was removed from Mousseau's list of writers.

Writer was never paid and she claims emails were not answered.

Writer contacted WritersWeekly.

WritersWeekly contacted Mousseau.

Mousseau accused writer of plagiarism but could never provide any proof. Mousseau said she saw the plagiarism herself...but now can't provide any examples. (Mousseau
appears to be confusing repetition of one's own words with plagiarism?)

Mousseau tells WritersWeekly she accused writer of plagiarism previously but writer supplied WritersWeekly with numerous emails and none accuse the writer of plagiarism.

WritersWeekly asked for copies of emails accusing plagiarism. Mousseau says all her emails were lost in a computer crash.

Mousseau claims her client has stopped responding...but she also claims she's worked with him on previous projects. She also does not give WritersWeekly the client's name or contact info.

Mousseau claims writer won't be paid because she wasn't paid.

DO YOU THINK JESSICA MOUSSEAU OWES THIS WRITER MONEY?

April 14, 2008

Jessica Mousseau - j.mousseau@hotmail.com
JM Writing & Editing - jessicamousseau.com
Co-founder and Editor: thinkgirl.net
Author of: Get In Or Get Out - Becoming A Successful Professional Writer

WritersWeekly.com has received a complaint about:

Jessica Mousseau / JM Writing & Editing /
jessicamousseau.com / Co-founder and Editor: thinkgirl.net /
Author of Get In Or Get Out - Becoming A Successful Professional Writer

WritersWeekly.com is a publication that publishes information for
and about freelance writers. The publication is the
largest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world.

As part of that information, WritersWeekly.com publishes a Warnings
section on its website and in its newsletter. This warning section
contains reports about publications that are unprofessional in
dealing with writers, haven't paid writers money that is owed to
them, who have not abided by their contracts, or who have unfair
contract terms. These reports are used by WritersWeekly.com's
subscribers
to decide which publications they should and should not work with.

Your firm has been submitted to us for inclusion in the
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings section.

Step one of our investigation of this report is to gather all
relevant correspondence between your publication and the person
submitting the complaint so that we can piece together that person's
side of the story. Step one of our investigation has been completed.

-------------
THE COMPLAINT
-------------

EK (name not published here but was, of course, provided to Mousseau) alleges you owe her $141.00 and that you are ignoring her correspondence.

-----------------
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
-----------------

The second step in our investigation is to send this communication
to your firm to get its side of the story. If you have evidence
disputing these allegations, or would like to make your own
statement about these allegations for publication in our report, please
email angela@writersweekly.com within two business days.

***All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and
is subject to publication.***

If you do owe this person money, we strongly suggest you read
this article before responding:
http://www.writersweekly.com/the_latest ... 32006.html

Our report on your firm is scheduled for inclusion in our
publication next Wednesday, though it may appear in our Whispers and
Warnings forum before that time.

If there is no response to these allegations, WritersWeekly.com will
still publish this complaint, but our readers will not be able to
read your side of the story.

We appreciate your prompt response in this matter.

Angela Hoy
Publisher
WritersWeekly.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PUBLISHER RESPONDS

Subject: JM RESPONSE
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:12:46 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

Hello Angela,

I have already told [EK] that the client found plagiarism in her work and
he isn't paying, she also copied and pasted the same sentences for a large
section of the project which asked for keyword use with different locations.
She found it to be acceptable to copy/paste sentences that were the same and
just change the location word (one word in the entire paragraph).

I have asked him if she could be given an additional chance to rewrite, but
he will not respond to emails nor phone calls. She knows what she did. She
also hasn't emailed me recently and if she did, I would return the same
correspondence I have several times. At this point, there's nothing I can do

If you plagiarize, you cannot expect to be paid.

ALSO: [EK] signed a writer's agreement with me that states that if
plagiarism is found in her work, she will not be paid.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WRITER RESPONDS

Subject: Re: [Fwd: JM RESPONSE]
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:37:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: [EK]

Angela,

I did not plagiarize from anywhere and I'll be saying this several times in my response. The first time around, I did copy my own phrases over in several places that were somewhat repetitive - there were fifty state descriptions that needed to be done quickly, so I created some phrases that I repeated. I did not lift anything from another site or anyone else's work. If this client has found what he believes to be plagiarism, I have to say I'm confused. That would have been an easy solution, but I did not do that. If he found some phrases that were like other things online somewhere, I just have to keep saying did not knowingly lift anything.

There were some phrase examples given on the spreadsheet for all the content categories. I did model some of my phrases after those because they sounded like something he wanted to have. Those were in his words for his site. I had 48 hours, so I thought that would be a good place to start. If he's calling that plagiarism, I don't know what else to say.

This is the first I have ever heard from Jessica about being accused of plagiarism. She never said anything about this in any of her communications. I knew about the repetition from the first time I wrote and (as the client had advised) I broke out the thesaurus to create some different phrases for the rewrites. I was up until wee hours in the morning doing this. Ask my husband how pleasant I was that week. If I'd plagiarism, I could have gone to bed much sooner. There was no video camera on me and no one looking over my shoulder. There is no other way to prove this except that I know I didn't copy someone else's content.

I realize this is going to end on my-word-vs-hers. This was a pretty difficult project to complete in 48 hours and it wasn't my finest work. I'll claim the repetitive phrase thing as my responsibility. But as God is my witness, I did not plagiarism.

Angela, thank you for your help and clarity in this matter.

EK

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN WRITERSWEEKLY AND MOUSSEAU

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:44:23 -0400
To: j.mousseau@hotmail.com

Hi Jessica,

Please send copies of the emails you sent to the writer concerning the plagiarism accusation.

Angela Hoy
WritersWeekly.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:46:21 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

Hello Angela, I have no emails between [EK] & I -- I essentially had to
re-install my email client, and lost everything 2 weeks ago --- so
unfortunately I have nothing --- but she was INFORMED several times, and
with the agreement she signed with me, she should know she wouldn't be paid.
But I haven't heard for her in a long time, thus I was surprised to receive
an email from you alleging I owed her money for copied works.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:59:25 -0400
To: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

She says you never mentioned plagiarism until now. She also sent me copies of her work and I can't find anything that's plagiarized so we need additional information.

Can you please put me in contact with the client who has accused her of plagiarism?

Angela Hoy
WritersWeekly.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:38:48 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

She probably sent you the rewrite work --- I originally encouraged him to
allow her to rewrite, in which she did ---- however then he decided he didn
t want to work with someone who copies at all, which I don't blame him! I
also let her go from my writing team. Since then, I haven't heard from her
or him. All of the emails I send him are returned saying undeliverable to my
inbox.

And no I cannot release client information because I signed agreement with
him. He knew she was doing the writing, however it says specifically in his
agreement, I don't release his name for any reason, etc. Now, that I realize
this --- I should have noticed this before.....and questioned it.

However, at this point, I have nothing else to give you regarding all of
this. She did receive notifications on plagiarism --- most of it were in the
state descriptions, in which she must have found another site online doing
something similar and copied verbatim what they put and changed a few words,
and the location keywords..... And passed it off as her own. I understand
that part of the assignment was difficult, however as a writer, you never
emulate something that is published already.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:02:56 -0400
To: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

This is all very odd because she sent me all the emails you exchanged with her and he specifically asked that she write an ebook for him.

Also:
You claim you sent emails about plagiarism.
She claims you never brought up plagiarism until WritersWeekly because involved (she sent us all the emails you exchanged)
You claim you lost all your emails.
You claim the client's emails are now bouncing.
You refuse to tell us who he is so we can verify the story. Why don't you offer call him or send a letter to his address asking if we can speak with him directly?

None of this is making any sense, Jessica.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COPIES OF A FEW EMAILS SUPPLIED BY THE WRITER

Subject: Fw: STATUS from Jessica
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:41:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: [EK]

Angela,

Here's another interesting one. He's supposedly so dissatisfied, yet he's
requesting that I do more work for him. ????

EK

From: J. Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>
To: EK
Sent: Wednesday, March 5, 2008 3:56:08 PM
Subject: STATUS

Hello, he's reviewing today - usually he pays immediately, with my vacation
things got slowed up.

Are you available for a ebook related to this topic? I would rather you do it,
since you have already invested time into the research etc. And know about it,
then having to get another writer who isn't familiar with the past work. Makes
the tone stay the same as well, he requested you do the work....

[BOLD INSERTED BY WRITERSWEEKLY.]

Let me know.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

From: J. Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>
To: EK
Sent: Sunday, March 2, 2008 11:13:46 PM
Subject: EDITS DUE MONDAY 8PM EST

Here are your edits --- please complete tomorrow and send to me by 8pm EST.
Pretty much you cannot have the same thing over and over again (I thought this
was going to be a problem), I never thought you would turn work in like that, no
client of mine would usually accept that, not sure if you have had good
experience doing that in the past. Thus,you need to change all of the phrases he
has below into UNIQUE phrases as well as MAKE EACH STATE PAGE unique. No
repeating sentences.

Then he'll pay.

HIS WORDS:

Hi Jessica,

I've reviewed again and I think aside from the few paragraphs of thoughts I
added I just need less phrase repetition because search engines can detect that
and devalue a page's relevancy due to it.

(Examples removed by WritersWeekly.)

Etc, the point is to break out the thesaurus and just do a run through where you
randomize things. We can't have 50 state pages for example all beginning with
the exact same first sentence. The more unique the beginning can be the better
actually.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Fw: ebook
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:16:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: EK

Angela,

Here's the reason she "let me go from her writing team." She had asked about
the ebook and my reply is below. I was up to my ears in work, still am. I was
already tired of the mess this was turning into and couldn't realistically take
on another project anyway.

The next email, which I think I forwarded on to you, was about how he wasn't
satisfied and still said it was too repetitive. He was going to decide what to
do and she was "waiting to hear".

[EK]

From: J. Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>
To: EK
Sent: Wednesday, March 5, 2008 4:30:01 PM
Subject: Re: ebook

No he needs this done immediately, I hired you because I needed your help now,
not later. I think we're going to have to part ways....and I find another to
work with.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

Professional Writing & Editing for you!
www.jessicamousseau.com <http://www.jessicamousseau.com/>

Professional PLR Article Packs for your business AND website/blog!
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Stand Loud & Proud as a Think Girl
Co-Founder & Editor: www.thinkgirl.net <http://www.thinkgirl.net/>

From: [EK]
Date:*/ 3/5/2008 5:27:56 PM
To:*/ J. Mousseau <mailto:j.mousseau@hotmail.com>
Subject:*/ ebook

I would be available to take a larger project like that no sooner than the end
of July. I have a huge long project that began a week ago and will continue
through early August. I also have two other projects right now that look as if
they will continue at least another couple more months (they keep looking longer
all the time).

If your client is OK with that kind of wait, I would be in a much better
position to discuss an ebook project with him around the beginning of summer. I
would have a better understanding of how much longer I will be involved with the
"two other projects" by then.

If he needs it sooner, I'm afraid I can't do it. Let me know what he thinks of
this timeframe.

EK

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:51:25 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>
To: angela at booklocker <angela@booklocker.com>

I have called him and get no return, I left him a message just knowing
telling him the urgency of the situation, that it's ruining my name, not his
In a way, I think the agreement almost was created for a situation like
this, that MYSELF, when he didn't pay, would have to take the brunt of the
situation, not him. I can write him a letter, but essentially it may take a
while to get a response, and definitely not by next Wednesday.

In essence, I could open a thread on him with you as well, however at this
time, I clearly saw the plagiarism in it, like I explained previous, I
understand as a client that would anger you and question the skill of the
writer. But not answering is unacceptable on his part.

Ultimately, if it wasn't a case of plagiarism --- I would be willing to put
my neck on the line (with breaking the signed agreement), but if I do
mention his name and he sues me, and ultimately nothing becomes of this,
that would not be the best choice for me, as the middle person.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:10:01 -0400
To: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

I've reviewed the article and can't find any plagiarism at all. Please provide examples of the plagiarism.

Angela

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:15:37 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

I think the problem is that she isn't sending you the correct VERSIONS. The
first file is what he rejected, and why this is how it is currently (and I
assume she's sending you the edited version which he never needed reviewed)
--- the original she pretty much copied and pasted the same thing for all
states and changed the keyword location names....and when he searched online
he found nearly the same thing for another competitor's website --- then he
decided to allow a rewrite --- and after thinking about it, decided he wasn
t going to work with a writer who copies. She was informed, and of course
upset, but if plagiarism didn't occur in the first place, there would be no
argument.

I don't see how I'm at fault in this at all nor do I understand why she is
battling something that she ultimately was wrong in doing. How can you
expect a client to pay for copied work? He could have copied it himself for
$0. I already did the best I could in trying to persuade the client in
allowing a rewrite, but ultimately when someone copies, it's hard to forgive
and have faith it won't happen again.

That's all the information I have.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:21:51 -0400
To: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

I need examples of the plagiarism.

I have copies of both manuscripts and, as I said, I can't find any plagiarism.

You're involved because you hired her and you directed her work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:24:17 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

Do you not see the original version? And the state keyword descriptions and
that they are the EXACT same throughout and the keyword is just changed..
and some of the sentences are re-arranged....that's exactly the portion I'm
talking about. That's a clear example right there...that's unacceptable work
You never copy and paste the same thing and rearrange it.

FUTURE: From this point on, if I hear from the client, I will get back to
you --- I can send a letter if she would like me to do so about the
situation, but she must recognize it may take a while to hear back from him,
after it is written, mailed and a response is waited for.

Let me know what she decides. However, I'm not sure she really has a case at
this point, since the work is clearly unacceptable.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:46:42 -0400
To: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

Copying and pasting from one section to another is not plagiarism - it's repetition, which she corrected. What website did she steal content from?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:50:51 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

That's something I would have to get from the client, he never said what
website....if she wants me to try contacting him by letter, let me know..
other than that, that's all I know of the situation. She hasn't emailed me
in a long time.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:52:57 -0400
To: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

Yes, please contact him. You can't refuse to pay someone and accuse them of plagiarism without proof. Please remember the contract is between you and her not between her and the website owner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:53:06 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

Actually, there is no contract between her and I ---

And all projects are based on APPROVAL of the client....all writers are told
this.

He never approved the work, thus there really isn't anything to be owed. But
I will attempt to contact him ---- have her email me in 2 weeks to see if I
got a response from him in any sense.....

Thanks.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:57:27 -0400
From: angela at booklocker <angela@booklocker.com>
To: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

You hired her. You promised to pay her. She had no contact with your client. The contract is between you and her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:58:39 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

I disagree, and I disagree with the work she turned in. I really don't think
I have a leg to stand on to argue the client pay her for this work, it wasn
t professional or correct. Would you honestly turn work in like that and
expect to be paid? She bite off more than she could chew, couldn't make a
deadline, so copied and pasted the same thing and turned it into the client.
If I were that client, I wouldn't have been happy either.

I will attempt to write a persausion letter to the client in her behalf, but
like I said, by the time I mail it, it gets to him, and if I get a response,
it won't be a few weeks.

Until then, I don't have anything else to add...
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Re: JM RESPONSE
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:59:08 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica <j.mousseau@Hotmail.com>

And like I said -- there is no promise of payment.

All work is done with payment after APPROVAL from the client, if she is no
approval, the writer retains the writing and can sell it elsewhere.
      
Best,
J. Mousseau

MOUSSEAU NEVER CONTACTED WRITERSWEEKLY AFTER THAT, AND IT'S BEEN A MONTH NOW.

JESSICA MOUSSEAU THREATENS TO SUE WRITERSWEEKLY AND THE WRITER

Subject: legal action will be taken
Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 23:21:47 -0400
From: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

I am going to approach my lawyer about a libel suit this weekend.

You are falsely accusing me in a situation you're not involved in nor signed an agreement with me. The work she did is in CONFIDENTIALITY and I could sue her for saying anything about the information, the project, the emails between her and I, etc. She never repeatedly emailed me like she told you, I never received an email from her after she was told she wouldn't be paid because of the quality of this work.

So I will give you till May 31st to have this thread down or legal action will be taken to both you and her (separately).

Thank you,
Jessica Mousseau

WRITERSWEEKLY RESPONDS

Subject: Re: legal action will be taken
Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 23:45:40 -0400
To: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

Hi Jessica,

I am a journalist. I published both sides of the story. I published all
the emails you sent to me and you were given ample opportunity to tell
your side of the story. And, I will be happy to publish additional
comments if you'd like to make them.

If you would like to point out specific statements she made that are not
true, I will be happy to post comments from you above/below her comments
that state that fact.

You need to tell us exactly what you consider to be libel.

In addition, a reader pointed out something we noticed but didn't
mention in the post. Here it is:

"In her April 17th email, Jessica claims there was no contract between
her and EK. Yet in an email dated just two days prior, she specifically
said that there was a signed writer's agreement between her and EK. She
also referred to that agreement in an April 16th email."

Again, please tell me exactly what you consider libel in the post
(specific statements), comment on each, and I'll post your comments in
their entirety.

I will immediately post your rebuttal email below to the page.

Angela Hoy
WritersWeekly.com

A WritersWeekly reader wrote in today with this:

I read your publication every week and I wanted to let you know that the complaint about JM Writing & Editing is not the first. This client was discussed on Deb Ng's site in the comments on this post (March 6 of this year): http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/fre ... ting-jobs/.

The comments made about the "Looking for Overflow Writers" ad are comments about Jessica Mousseau, the woman who posted the ad. It looks like she has a history of treating writers poorly.

Thank you for the valuable service you provide to writers in letting us know about clients like these.

Another WritersWeekly reader sent in a comment:

Angela,

I was shocked and dismayed to read the complaint about Jessica Mousseau -- I
actually know her from the blogosphere and a few exchanged emails, and I
can't believe she'd do something like this.

I just have to point out one discrepancy:

In her April 17th email, Jessica claims there was no contract between her
and EK. Yet in an email dated just two days prior, she specifically said
that there was a signed writer's agreement between her and EK. She also
referred to that agreement in an April 16th email.

I also have to note that the client's behavior is pretty typical of
non-paying clients. He asked for the rewrite, then "decided" he couldn't
work with the writer after all. Now he's MIA.

Personally, I agree with you that EK's contract (or agreement -- whatever
Jessica wants to call it, it has the same end result) was with Jessica.
Since the writer didn't have any contact with the client, and Jessica was
evidently subcontracting the work out to EK, it was JESSICA'S responsibility
to screen the client. I also feel it is her responsibility to pay EK.

If Jessica had handled things differently, we would have viewed her as just
another victim of the nameless client. Unfortunately, she decided to
protect him, which makes her look just as bad.

JESSICA MOUSSEAU RESPONDS AGAIN

Subject: FYI
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 10:29:37 -0400
From: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

A big part of the issue of libel is that HER NAME AND CONTACT INFO isn't included as well, if she's alleging something of me, I'm alleging that she copied and repeated words throughout and her contact info should be included as well.

WRITERSWEEKLY RESPONDS

Subject: Re: FYI
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 11:23:02 -0400
To: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

You need to look up the definition of the word libel.

~~~~~

MORE CORRESPONDENCE

MOUSSEAU SAYS:

Jessica Mousseau wrote:
My lawyer said not to mention anything about the specifics, so I will not be.

But I wanted to make it clear, that the only person in the URL above that I have worked with is EK, and none of the others. I do not work with a "guy" as one of them have said, and it's clear they are confused at who I am.
Thanks,
Jessica

~~~~~

WRITERSWEEKLY SAYS:

Subject: Re:
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 11:23:47 -0400
To: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

Please provide me with your attorney's contact information.

~~~~~

MOUSSEAU SAYS:

Subject: RE: FYI
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 13:26:06 -0400
From: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

Libel is WRITTEN DEFAMATION of character and that is exactly what this is. I could EASILY destroy her writing reputation with the work she turned in, post her name and contact information on other websites and my own (like you did to me, but fail to post her info), but I haven't...and I won't until I have to.

Frankly, someone that can't use their real name on the web is OBVIOUSLY hiding something...and makes her claim even less credible.

Jessica

~~~~~

WW SAYS:

Subject: Re: FYI
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 14:17:31 -0400
To: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

I'm still waiting for you to tell me exactly what is published that is not true.

I'm also still waiting for your attorney's contact information.

She didn't remove her name from the complaint. We did.

Angela Hoy
WritersWeekly.com

~~~~~

MOUSSEAU SAYS:

Subject: COPY OF WRITER'S AGREEMENT ALL WRITERS MUST SIGN TO WORK WITH ME
Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 12:29:11 -0400
From: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

I just wanted to clarify what is within my writer's agreement, I have writers sign this for very distinct reasons as in this case.

Here is the contracted agreement created by my lawyer that everyone must sign before they can do any project with. Please review. She signed this, as does every writer of mine, so if they do not read an agreement prior to, they are at fault, not myself, this is why we preach on blogs all over the Internet to new freelancers to get a contract. I was protecting myself in cases such as this.

Contract Of Writing

I, ________________ (print your name)understand the following conditions regarding any piece of writing material I submit to Jessica Mousseau and agree to these conditions fully and without argument.

Conditions of writing:

All writings/articles submitted by myself to Jessica Mousseau are no longer the property of me (the author). When the articles are submitted, the ownership belongs to Jessica Mousseau. Upon Jessica Mousseau selling them to another client, the ownership will then belong to the client who purchased them from Jessica Mousseau. I can’t post the submitted articles on any other website, blog, group content site, or in print. They cannot be posted on the Web in any form or fashion. The writer can’t claim the articles as his or her own work, at any time, after submitting them to Jessica Mousseau .

All of the writings/articles submitted by myself to Jessica Mousseau must be 100% original material. I understand all work is submitted and will paid after approval from the client. If I submit unoriginal material to Jessica Mousseau, I understand that I will not be paid for these articles. In addition, I understand that legal action can be taken against me for intentional plagiarism acts.

By signing this document and returning it, I agree in full to abide by these terms stated above in this contract with Jessica Mousseau .

_____________________ (print name)

_____________________ (signature) __________________ (date)

~~~~~

WW SAYS:

Subject: Re: COPY OF WRITER'S AGREEMENT ALL WRITERS MUST SIGN TO WORK WITH ME
Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 17:11:16 -0400
To: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

I don't see anything in this agreement that prevents her from discussing
her experience with others.

I don't see anything in this agreement that grants you rights AFTER the
article is paid for (only after it is submitted).

You still haven't (and can't, obviously) prove she plagiarized anything.
She repeated some of her own original phrases in the piece, but then
fixed them on request. As I said before, repetition is not plagiarism.

Angela Hoy
WritersWeekly.com

~~~~~

MOUSSEAU SAYS:

On Fri, May 23, 2008 at 10:24 AM, Jessica Mousseau
<j.mousseau@hotmail.com> wrote:

I am going to pay her for the content NOT INCLUDING the copy/repeating
which is almost half of the assignment. I will still own the work as the
agreement states, and if it is used in the future by her, either myself or the
person who owns the content, can take legal action against her.

However, I will only pay this invoice if you take this thread off of your
website and you sign a written agreement that you will not repost it after
I pay the invoice.

The remaining balance would be $55. She knows my paypal, have her send me
an invoice, and this will be taken care of after you and I sign the agreement
etc. Attached is the agreement, sign it and email it back to me. If you would
like to draft an agreement saying that I promise to pay an invoice of $55
to EK (Put her name) after receiving notice of this thread being taken down,
I will sign that and get it back to you as well, so we both feel protected.

She really can't expect to be paid for the other portion of the assignment
however I do admit I was wrong for not paying her for the other part.
After sitting back and clearing my head, I began to see the situation more
clearly and feel this is the best thing to do.

SIDENOTE: I will be taking future action against my client.

I did not intend for anything of this sort to happen. He did want to work
with her again, then saw that work, stopped emailing me after I had asked
her to do the e-book and she declined. I generally need fast turnarounds,
which is another reason why I let her go, I do realize that it seemed
coincidental.

Thank you,
Jessica

~~~~~

WW SAYS:

Subject: Re: Fw: Re: FW: RESOLVING THIS SITUATION - SEE WITHIN
Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 16:12:17 -0400
To: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

Hi Jessica,

I am not under contract with you and I will not sign any homemade contract of yours. I am not a collector. I am a journalist. You need to contact the writer directly. Your contract is with her.

If you do pay her what you owe, we will post an update to our website.

Angela Hoy
WritersWeekly.com

~~~~~

MOUSSEAU SAYS:

Subject: Re: Fw: Re: FW: RESOLVING THIS SITUATION - SEE WITHIN
Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 16:40:35 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

I will not be doing so until this post is removed.

Thanks and good luck.

      
Best,
J. Mousseau

~~~~~

MOUSSEAU SAYS:

Subject: Re: Fw: Re: FW: RESOLVING THIS SITUATION - SEE WITHIN
Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 16:45:28 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
From: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

And I do not even have her email address anymore because she hasn't emailed
me since I let her go.... So her claim of Emailing me repeatedly is false,
which is YET another thing in this claim that is incorrect. Next, is the
fact she signed an agreement with me stating she would be paid upon APPROVAL
which ultimately makes this whole situation a waste of time, because he
didn't approve the work and she signed this and agreed to these terms when
working with me.

Ultimately, there is no claim. And the fact you're not posting the emails I
m sending you in response to my claim, including the copy of the written
agreement, makes it apparent that you do not provide BOTH sides of the story

~~~~~

WW SAYS:

Subject: Re: Fw: Re: FW: RESOLVING THIS SITUATION - SEE WITHIN
Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 17:04:11 -0400
To: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

Her email address appears in the original complaint I sent to you. Here
it is again: [removed for publication]

Just because she signed an agreement with you does not negate the fact
that she is dissatisfied with the entire experience. If her work was so
bad, why did the client want to hire her to write an ebook? Why did you
fire her only after she said she was too busy to take on the ebook project?

We could argue every individual point until our fingers fall off but the
fact remains - you hired her, you then attempted to hire her to write an
ebook, she was too busy, you fired her, and she never got paid. You
refuse to provide the client's contact information so there is no way
for anyone to prove whether you got paid for the work or not.

And I'm still waiting for your attorney's contact information.

By the way, I am posting your responses. But, to be completely honest with you, based on responses coming in from our readers, your behavior since all of this began is only making you look bad.

Angela Hoy
WritersWeekly.com

Another Reader Sends Comment About This Situation

Hi Angela,

Thanks for the warning about Jessica Mousseau. I am appalled at her
treatment of the writer and her inconsistency with her emails. Lastly, I
want to call your attention to her blog dated May 24, naming [EK],
and alleging that you are crafting the situation in a certain way, despite
her admission that she made the mistake of not paying EK and that after
clearing her head, she realized her wrongdoings. This woman is nuts!

Again, thank you for maintaining your invaluable website.

Yours,
Jen

Another reader comments:

I love it that Jessica is offering to only pay EK for the parts that weren't
copied and pasted. Didn't EK fix all the copied/pasted text upon request?
That means that since the final draft contained no repetitious content, by
her own offer Jessica still owes EK the full amount.

I don't think Jessica quite understands that since she requested the
revisions, it means she needs to honor them, too...

K.

WritersWeekly comments on Jessica Mousseau's blog post:

SHE SAID:
"...the fact that WRITER'S WEEKLY does not post the person who makes the claim's information is another reason why I don't consider this site credible."

WE SAY:
Mousseau has already admitted working with this writer (and admitted owing her money).

SHE SAID:
"Angela isn't even posting most of the responses I send, just some of them, to craft the story in a certain tone."

WE SAY:
All the emails that we've received from Mousseau have been posted here. If any are missing, she hasn't let us know and hasn't re-sent anything.

SHE SAID:
"Also, many people have emailed in support of me, and she only posts those against me."

WE SAY:
We have received ZERO emails in support of Mousseau.

Another WritersWeekly reader comments:

Hi Angela

I read Jessica Mousseau's homemade contract. I have to say it was very poorly written and I was not impressed.

Eden

Another WritersWeekly reader comments:

Wow, after reading the Whispers and Warnings thread, it's no wonder she never sent you the name of her lawyer--she either doesn't really have one or else she's scraping the bottom of the $50/hr legal barrel...

I can't imagine a lawyer worth the first dime who would:
1) Approve a client's work-for-hire agreement that transfers rights to a third party without the guarantee of payment; that seems to be in direct contravention of copyright law since there is a co-opting of intellectual property rights without ANY sort of reimbursement. This agreement says that JM retains the rights to the work regardless of whether the client pays her. (And a slap on the wrist to EK if she did in fact sign this agreement. NEVER surrender rights without reimbursement, even if it's just a few copies of the publication!)

2) Allow such an egregious phrase as "In addition, I understand that legal action can be taken against me for intentional plagiarism acts" when it's practically intuitive to a 7th grader to write, "intentional acts of plagurism." If this were buried in a 12 page agreement, it *almost* would be an excusable oversight, but for crying out loud--there's only 14 sentences in that abhorrent agreement!

Oy vey. Not only are you correct in pointing out to her that her behavior throughout this ordeal was smearing her name, but the more we get to peek into her daily operations it's clear how unprofessional she is. If she lost all those emails in a computer crash, then, um....how did she still have the client's contact info since he supposedly stopped contacting her? Wow, even my high school writing students have the courage to tell me when they screw up. I preach to them every class about acting professional. How am I supposed to back that message up when there are people like JM passing themselves off as a professional business while acting so unprofessionally and insisting her writers turn over their intellectual property rights without reimbursement?

By the way, let JM know that on behalf of all 86 of my creative writing students and the 44 ENGL12 seniors whom I just ushered out into the world, I am ashamed of her every step in this process. I know you removed EK's name, but I'd stand behind every comment in this letter. I'd have no problem with you letting her know exactly where JOHN C ANKER, stands on this particular issue!!

Sapere Aude!

Another WritersWeekly reader comments:

Dear Angela,
I've been reading this saga with increasing disbelief. I think Jessica is full of it.

She claims on her blog that she holds a degree in journalism from Rutgers. Her resume also says she has a degree from Rutgers but does not provide a date, which seems odd since her high school diploma date (2003) is there. However, her 2/26/08 blog post states that she is "still in school" and due to graduate in May 2008. She probably hasn't even graduated yet, and she is (and has been) providing clients and readers with the impression that she has a degree! She is one to talk about plagiarism and dishonesty -- See this link: http://jmwriting.blogspot.com/2008/02/hello-all.html

Also, she mentions in this same post that she has attended 5 different colleges to get to this point. Interesting.

I find her self-promoting website and blog completely obnoxious, since she seems to have anointed herself the supreme authority on freelancing and business writing - she is what, 23? I also wonder how many of the pieces and clients she mentions in her websites and resume as her own work were actually written by her, and not by subcontractors like EK.

This is probably beside the point, but I find her writing (both in her e-mails and on her websites) to be sloppy and full of typos/poor grammar, word errors (like using morale/moral interchangeably, and misspelling the name of her own publications on her resume!), and nonexistent words (spedfast??). It's not surprising that her handling of this situation is inconsistent.

Finally, I found it interesting that she coughed up her sample "contract" so late in the game, instead of passing it along right at the get-go. The fact that it seems tailor-made to defend her in the current situation makes me very suspicious. Can EK provide a copy of her signed contract with Jessica for comparison?

I can't imagine why anyone would want to hire or work for someone with this kind of overblown ego but little talent, experience, or honest credentials to back it up. Maybe that's why her client bolted...wish we could hear his side of the story!

Thanks for providing this service - it is a valuable education in avoiding scams, not to mention enormously entertaining to read!

Best,

Kate

WRITERSWEEKLY COMMENTS:

We checked out the page above (Mousseau may remove it or change it after this is posted, but we got a screen-shot of it) and it says:

Mousseau holds a degree in journalism and media studies from Rutgers University.

And, then it says this (posted on 2/26/08):

I've been in Florida and working hard, because in case I haven't shared before, or you haven't read, I am still in college. I was delayed because of the expansion of my business, so I will finally graduate (after 5 schools) this May from Rutgers University!

EMAIL FROM JESSICA MOUSSEAU SUPPORTER

Subject: Jessica Mousseau
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2008 11:53:28 -0500
From: Alethea White

I am writing in defense of the negative postings on The Writer's Weekly website concerning JESSICA MOUSSEAU. I am requesting that this response be posted on that website as soon as possible.

I have worked for Ms. Mousseau for approximately 1 1/2 years. At the time I began my employment with Ms. Mousseau, I was required to read and sign the writing contract that all her employees must sign before she begins sending them assignments.
The contract clearly stated that writing work submitted MUST BE accepted BY THE CLIENT before payment would be rendered by Ms. Mousseau to her employee. In other words, if the client rejected the article, especially if plaigarism or other circumstances existed, the writer does not get paid.

However, there have been times when the writer rejected the article for reasons that Ms. Mousseau felt were not justified. When that happened, Ms. Mousseau went out of her way to attempt to sell the article to another source so that the writer would get paid.

Ms. Mousseau has NEVER failed to pay me for an article that was accepted.

Further, Ms. Mousseau just does not simply send her writers the topic and expect us to write it "cold". She explains precisely what the client is looking for, and continues to offer help throughout the duration of the assignment. I have e-mailed her in the past with questions concerning an article, and each time (and believe me, there were times when the e-mails between us were flying fast and furious), she was quick to help me.

Ms. Mousseau is the most honest, ethical person with whom I have done business. I can assure anyone who is reading this that if THE WRITER was not paid, it was because THE WRITER did not complete the assignment according to the guidelines, instructions, and wishes set forth by the client and communicated to THE WRITER by Ms. Mousseau. Had THE WRITER done what THE WRITER was supposed to do, THE WRITER would have been paid by Ms. Mousseau.

You may use my name, as I am happy to stand up for Ms. Mousseau.

Sincerely,


Alethea White

Subject: NOW YOU ARE LIBELLING
Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 18:17:08 -0400
From: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

By saying I don't have a degree, you are now libeling me and this is going MUCH farther than reporting an incident, but defaming my name....and if it continues, I will be taking action against it. I'm not sure why you feel threatened by me.....we are all freelance writers/copywriters, and by people speaking bad against me and being annoyed that I am succeeding in the field makes me feel as if they are jealous for some reason or not.

Not sure why you are doing this, but it is libel.

Attached is a screen shot of a verification form that can be obtained from Rutgers University...I have taken my SSN off of it. I finished my degree at Rutgers....moved from Detroit to Chicago to work at a publishing company and took nearly an entire major of MAGAZINE JOURNALISM at Columbia College, then moved to New Jersey and finished at Rutgers.

Feel free to post this.

THE TEXT FROM THE ATTACHMENT IS BELOW:

DATE: JUNE 05, 2008

NAME WHILE ATTENDING RUTGERS: JESSICA A. MOUSSEAU

this is to certify that the information proided in references to the student named is true and accurates as of the above date. Procedures for producing this document were designed to incorporate standard certification data elements reflected on your request forms. Thank you for accepting this computer generated certification in lieu of our completing other specialized forms.

I. DATES OF ENROLLMENT

TERM DATE SCHOOL STATUS CREDIT HOURS WITHDRAWAL DATE
Fall 2006 09/05/06-12/22/06 LIVINGSTON COLLEGE FT 15.0
Spring 2007 01/16/07-05/09/07 LIVINGSTON COLLEGE FT 12.0
Spring 2008 01/22/08-05/14/08 LIVINGSTON COLLEGE FT 12.0

II. DEGREE INFORMATION



SCHOOL CODE 002629

~~~~~

WRITERSWEEKLY RESPONDS

Subject: Re: NOW YOU ARE LIBELLING
Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:29:48 -0400
To: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

Hi Jessica,

I didn't say you didn't have a degree. You need to re-read what I did
write.

Writing an opinion is not libel and what I wrote is clearly an opinion.

And, forgive me if I don't understand but I don't see any confirmation
of a degree on this form. It appears to be blank under that line. Please
advise?

What degree do you have at what school and when did you get it? I'll be
very happy to post the information on the forum.

Angela Hoy
WritersWeekly.com

~~~~~

MOUSSEAU RESPONDS

Subject: RE: NOW YOU ARE LIBELING
Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 18:48:03 -0400
From: Jessica Mousseau <j.mousseau@hotmail.com>

The school code is placed there....it's Journalism & Media Studies...... you can find it on their website if you want to see its "true." I believe if you go to rutgers.edu, and search SCHOOL CODES in the top --- you will see JOURNALISM AND MEDIA STUDIES...when you put that code in.

You see DEGREE INFORMATION with that code indicating my degree is in that program...not sure why they don't put the name either....

Thank you for updating.