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Hugh Grant gets libel payout
Hugh Grant gets libel payout
Saturday April 28, 2007
Two British newspapers gave libel damages to actor Hugh Grant on Friday after he sued over reports about his behaviour with ex-girlfriend Jemima Khan.
The Mail on Sunday and the Daily Mail apologised and promised not to repeat the allegations.
The owner of the two publications, Associated Newspapers, agreed to pay the undisclosed damages to a cancer charity and to reimburse Grant's legal costs.
The 46-year-old actor, who lodged the lawsuit in February, was not present at London's High Court, where the settlement was announced.
Grant's lawyer Simon Smith said the contentious articles included one headlined "Hugh, Drew and the Jealousy of Jemima," in which it was alleged that Grant flirted with a Warner Bros. senior executive.
A second, "Guess Hugh's free to join Liz at her wedding after all," alleged that Grant would attend his former lover Liz Hurley's marriage to Indian businessman Arun Nayar, make a speech and act as an usher, he added.
It also alleged that he had sponsored a chimpanzee and bought her an expensive necklace, and that his actions were "the last straw" for socialite Khan, who is the former wife of Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.
The article "Hugh aren't good enough" alleged that he resented having to promote his films.
Grant said in a statement: "I took this action because I was tired of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday papers publishing almost entirely fictional articles about my private life for their own financial gain.
"I'm also hoping that this statement in court might remind people that the so-called 'close friends' or 'close sources' on which these stories claim to be based almost never exist."
It has been a busy week for Grant. On Wednesday, he was arrested on suspicion of assault after allegedly kicking a photographer and hurling a container of baked beans at him London.
Grant starred in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994), "Notting Hill" (1999), "Bridget Jones's Diary" (2001), "About a Boy" (2002) and "Love Actually" (2003).
His last film, "Music and Lyrics", came out in February and topped the British box office. He played a 1980s pop star.
In 1995 in Los Angeles the actor was convicted of indecent conduct with a prostitute in a public place.
AFP
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