Clara Peller's search for the beef ended Friday. She was fired by Wendy's for making a spaghetti sauce commercial.

"I'm sorry that the company that I worked so hard for does not want to use me in commercials anymore," Peller said in a statement through Chicago attorney Joel Weisman.

Weisman said the "Where's the Beef" lady was let go because Wendy's was afraid Peller would sue on grounds that her image had been used in promotions without her permission. "It was a preemptive strike . . . so they won't be embarrassed," he said.

William M. Welter, executive vice president of Wendy's International Inc. of Dublin, said Peller was let go because of her appearance in a commercial for a spaghetti sauce made by Campbell Soup Co. In that commercial she looks in the sauce and says that at last she has found the beef.

"The commercial infers that Clara found the beef at somewhere other than Wendy's restaurants," Welter said. "Unfortunately, Clara's appearance in the ads makes it extremely difficult for her to serve as a credible spokesperson for our products."

Wendy's had been negotiating a three-year contract with Peller, which Weisman said resulted from the company's fears it would be hit with a lawsuit.

"When these negotiations started they were afraid we were going to sue them for exploiting Clara," he said. "They passed out masks of her at a National Football League game without her permission or payment. They also put up billboards showing her picture without her permission. We're investigating other violations in which they may have exploited her name and likeness."

"We intend to take appropriate action to protect her rights."

Peller appeared in about 10 "Where's the Beef?" commercials for Wendy's in 1984. Welter said the success for the ads led to significant increases in consumer awareness of Wendy's and contributed to increases of 31 percent and 24 percent in annual revenues and net income respectively.