First lady Melania Trump will receive an undisclosed sum of money from the Daily Mail and Mail Online for “false and defamatory” claims the publication made about her modeling career on Aug. 20, 2016.
An apology was issued Wednesday by the Daily Mail for a election-season story it ran that cast Mrs. Trump as an escort during her modeling days. The legal battle between each party ended in the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
John Kelly of the law firm Harbottle and Lewis stood before a judge and acknowledged the “false and defamatory claims about [Melania Trump], which questioned the nature of her work as a professional model and republished allegations that she provided services beyond simply modelling,” The Guardian reported.
A source told Reuters that less than $3 million would be paid to the first lady.
“We accept that these allegations about Mrs Trump are not true and we retract and withdraw them,” the Daily Mail said on its website. “We apologize to Mrs Trump for any distress that our publication caused her. To settle Mrs Trump’s two lawsuits against us, we have agreed to pay her damages and costs.”
Mrs. Trump reportedly sought $150 million for lost business opportunities linked to the story, the Guardian reported.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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