In this file photo released by CBS, pop singer
Britney Spears shares a laugh with host David Letterman on the set of The Late
Show with David Letterman, on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 in New York. Spears announced
on the show that she and husband Kevin Federline are expecting their second
child. (AP Photo/CBS, Jeffrey Neira)
The U.S.-based National Enquirer published a rare apology and
retraction in its British edition Tuesday to pop star Britney Spears, whom the
tabloid last month reported was ready to split from husband Kevin Federline.
A London lawyer representing American Media Inc., the Boca Raton,
Florida-based publisher of the National Enquirer, signed a settlement agreement
with Paul Tweed, the Belfast lawyer representing Spears in Britain and Ireland.
The settlement requires a published apology, but no cash damages.
Spears pursued a libel action on this side of the Atlantic, rather than in
the United States, because British and Irish laws are much more
plaintiff-friendly.
Media lawyers say such cases could become increasingly popular when targeting
U.S.-based publications with even a small overseas distribution.
Whereas U.S. libel law requires a celebrity to prove that an article was both
false and published maliciously, British and Irish libel law places the burden
of proof on the publisher of such material.
The offending articles were published June 5 and June 12 under the headlines
"Britney marriage is over!" and "Britney and Kevin: And now their divorce!" Both
stories were vaguely sourced to unidentified friends of the couple.
The apology and retraction was published Tuesday in the British edition in
England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and was being published Wednesday
in its Republic of Ireland version.
It said that National Enquirer officials "now accept that their marriage is
not over and they are not getting divorced. These allegations are untrue and we
now accept Britney's position that the statements are without foundation. We
apologize for any distress caused."
"The couple are very satisfied with the Enquirer's prompt and good-faith
response," Tweed said in a telephone interview from Cape Cod, Massachusetts,
where he is on vacation. He confirmed that the settlement meant the National
Enquirer would not be sued, nor required to publish the apology, in the United
States.
London lawyer Niri Shan, who represented American Media, declined to comment.
The office of National Enquirer chief executive David Pecker referred The
Associated Press to a New York public-relations firm that wasn't immediately
aware of the lawsuit or settlement.