Mass. judge tosses lawsuit against Hasselbeck

BOSTON -- A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a lawsuit accusing television personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck of plagiarism.

A federal lawsuit accused the co-host of ABC's "The View" of lifting content from a book written by self-published Cape Cod author Susan Hassett on the digestive disorder celiac disease. Hasselbeck's book was called "The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide" and appeared on best-seller lists this year.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro dismissed the lawsuit last week after Hassett's attorney declined to pursue it. The dismissal was first reported in the Boston Herald on Saturday.

Hassett lawyer Richard Cunha said Monday that while he still believes there were instances of plagiarism, he isn't sure they were egregious enough for his client to recover money damages.

Hasselbeck has called the allegations baseless.