Hollywood actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reportedly won their libel lawsuit against the News of the World.
The couple lodged their complaint after a number of articles appeared in News Corp’s publications alleging that Pitt and Jolie were to split up. The newspaper published a front-page story on the couple, claiming that the actors had visited divorce lawyers and were figuring out how to split up their considerable assets.
Pitt and Jolie filed their lawsuit back in February, after the News of the World not only failed to retract the allegations, but actually printed a follow-up story. A lawyer for the couple, Keith Schilling, said:
“The News of the World’s publication of these falsehoods spawned an array of false stories,”
“When the News of the World failed to publicly retract the allegations and apologize for them — thereby leaving their readers in the dark as to the true position — the couple felt they had no alternative than to sue.”
News Corp. have since admitted that the stories were false, and they have agreed to pay an undisclosed amount in damages (presumably using their professional indemnity insurance) to Pitt and Jolie’s charity.