Ex-NBA ref Donaghy awarded $1.3 million PETERSBURG, Fla., June 18 (UPI) -- Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy has been awarded $1.3 million by a Florida jury in a lawsuit stemming from his tell-all book about the league and its referees. Donaghy told the Philadelphia Daily News Sunday he always thought he would win his suit against Shawna Vercher and her now-defunct firm, VTi Group, which published his book. The verdict came in his favor Friday in St. Petersburg. "The lady made my life a living hell and basically tortured me through the press by putting fictitious stories out there," said Donaghy, 45, who now lives in Sarasota. I knew, at some point, my time would come. And my time was Friday. Donaghy was given a 15-month prison term for gambling and wire-fraud convictions for betting on basketball games he officiated. Donaghy said in his suit Vercher took nearly $250,000 in revenue from his book, "Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA" that rightfully was his. Vercher, now a talk show host, said she intends to appeal. She has maintained Donaghy had threatened her, a claim he says was a fabrication. "My goal is the same now as it has always been -- that Mr. Donaghy and his ilk stay away from me and my family," she said. Having served his prison term, Donaghy is now a blogger who makes picks on basketball games, the Daily News said.