Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Tatiana Boncompagni, the author of ``Hedge Fund Wives,'' a novel to be published in May by News Corp.'s HarperCollins, sued her sister Natasha over claims she copied parts of the manuscript and sought copyright protection as its co-author.

Tatiana Boncompagni, 31, a freelance journalist whose first novel, ``Gilding Lily,'' was published by HarperCollins last month, accused her sister of secretly copying parts of ``Hedge Fund Wives'' this year during family visits in New York and Milwaukee.

Natasha Boncompagni, 33, denied the claims in the copyright- infringement complaint, filed today in federal court in Manhattan. She said she co-wrote the novel and that she would have sued Tatiana if her sister hadn't beaten her to court.

``This was a private family matter that my sister has decided to make public,'' Natasha Boncompagni said today in an e-mailed statement. ``Our entire family is deeply saddened by her decision to willfully misrepresent herself as the sole author of `Hedge Fund Wives,' a book that we co-wrote.''

Natasha Boncompagni, of Milwaukee, claims the career of the novel's main character, Marcy, mirrors her work history at investment banks UBS AG and Citigroup Inc., as well as at the hedge fund Fairfield Greenwich Group.

Tatiana Boncompagni, of New York, asked for unspecified money damages and a court order declaring her the sole author of the book. Neither sister is married to a hedge fund manager, according to Natasha.

Sister's Input

Tatiana Boncompagni said in the complaint that her sister provided input for the novel. Natasha never mentioned co- authorship until after the novel was finished, she said. Tatiana Boncompagni ``acted in a manner consistent with being the sole and exclusive author of the manuscript,'' according to the complaint.

Tatiana began writing the novel in August 2007 and delivered the final manuscript to HarperCollins on Sept. 19, according to the complaint. Tatiana Boncompagni's married name is Hoover.

``Hedge Fund Wives'' is about the social interactions of wealthy women whose husbands make and lose money on Wall Street deals, according to Natasha Boncompagni and her sister's lawyer.

``It's disappointing this had to result in court action, but the defendant left us no other option,'' her lawyer, Alan Fisch of the firm Kaye Scholer in Washington, said today in a phone interview.

Tatiana Boncompagni, who has done freelance work for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, told Bloomberg Television in September that her first book is an autobiographical cautionary tale about a fallen socialite dealing with self-esteem problems.

HarperCollins, based in New York, isn't named the complaint. Erin Crum, a spokeswoman for the publisher, declined to comment.

The case is Hoover v. Boncompagni, 08-cv-09159, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Larson in New York at elarson4@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 27, 2008 18:01 EDT