Ale Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 LONDON (Reuters) - Will Smith won an apology and undisclosed damages in a London court on Friday over a false claim that he had described World War Two Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as a "good person". The Oscar-nominated star, one of the world's most popular and highly paid actors, was left deeply distressed and acutely embarrassed over the wrong story published by an entertainment newswire service, the High Court heard. Smith's comments, originally published in the Scottish Daily Record newspaper, were then "wholly misrepresented" by the London-based World Entertainment News Network (WENN), Judge David Eady was told. The agency, which says on its website that it provides information to more than 1,000 media outlets in 25 countries, picked up the interview and then wrongly published worldwide a story headlined "Smith: Hitler was a good person". "The article alleged (Smith) had declared in an interview that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was a good person," Smith's lawyer Rachel Atkins told the court. "It wholly misrepresents (his) actual words." She said Smith, also a Grammy-winning rapper who was not in court, actually thought Hitler was "vile and heinous". "The allegations that he could think otherwise is deeply distressing...and has caused him acute embarrassment," she said. WENN retracted the story and issued a correction and an apology, but no media published it, leaving the libel "at large", Atkins said. She said the undisclosed compensation WENN had agreed to pay would be donated to an unnamed charity. It also will meet his legal costs. John Melville Smith, defending WENN, said his client apologized for the story, which they now admitted was wrong. "(WENN) offers its apologies to (Smith) for any distress and embarrassment caused by this article," he told the court. "(It) accepts that the allegations concerning (him) were misleading and published in error." Smith has starred in several Hollywood blockbusters including "Men In Black", "Independence Day" and "The Pursuit of Happyness", which earned him a second Academy Award nomination. http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainme...lBrandChannel=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typhoon20 Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 IN YO FACE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ale Posted February 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 :lolsign: :lolsign: :lolsign: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxFly Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 Where's WillReign? I'd love to get his take on this... In any event, the issue, as found in a court of law, was libel. :stickpoke: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Amor Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 Way 2 go Will! I read on E news that Will is donating his settlement to charity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Julie Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 haha this is great, now whos gonna be embarassed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Hero1 Posted February 22, 2008 Admin Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 Good. They need to be held accountable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopDawg14 Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 Good for Will. It's about time these "rags" posing as legitimate news sources got what was coming to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VIsqo Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 I cannot agree more!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rams0011 Posted July 8, 2008 Members Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 good job will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willreign Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 i'm glad that it all over... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetdash Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Ha i really knew nothing about this...but good going will!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3cookies Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Good for YOU Will!!!! xo, cookie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogue Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I wish that other celebrites would follow Will's example and stand up to the tabloids. If more people like Will stood up to them then the tabloids wouldn't print so much garbage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Tiger Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Very good... I wonder how much he got... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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