The lawsuit filed against New York-based Anchin, Block & Anchin in the US district court in Boston says that her net worth is less than $10 million, even though her literary empire rakes in “high eight figure” totals each year.

The 26-page complaint outlines a long list of complaints against the company entrusted with running the finances of Ms Cornwell and her legal wife, Harvard neuroscientist Staci Gruber - the couple live in Massachusetts where same-sex marriage is legal.