Judith Regan, mastermind of O.J. Simpson's 'If I Did It' book, is

NEW YORK (AP) Judith Regan is out of a job.<br/><br/>The publisher behind O.J. Simpson's ill-fated "If I Did It" was fired Friday by HarperCollins, the publishing house owned by Rupert Murdoch's

Friday, December 15th 2006, 9:02 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) Judith Regan is out of a job.

The publisher behind O.J. Simpson's ill-fated "If I Did It" was fired Friday by HarperCollins, the publishing house owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.

Regan was the head of the ReganBooks imprint, which is known for attention-grabbing and best-selling celebrity-authored books.

HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman says the rest of the ReganBooks publishing staff will continue as a part of HarperCollins General Books Group.

Regan has been labeled as a "tyrant" since taking the helm of the imprint in 1994. She often clashed with colleagues and is said to have had tense relations with Friedman. Last year, Regan moved her offices to L.A., away from HarperCollins' New York headquarters.

Regan's firing comes less than a month after Murdoch pulled the O.J. Simpson book and TV project.