April 12 (UPI) — The British newspaper Daily Mail agreed to pay damages to first lady Melania Trump over published allegations regarding her modeling career.
The newspaper said “she had provided services beyond simply modeling” prior to her 2005 marriage to President Donald Trump, prompting lawsuits in February seeking $150 million in damages, as well as an apology. A prior article in the Daily Mail, suggesting she was a paid escort during her modeling career and that her past could derail her husband’s political career, was published in August and retracted two weeks later during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.
The Daily Mail and its Mail Online website agreed Wednesday to pay an undisclosed amount to Melania Trump, and published an apology. Both parties accepted the apology in London High Court, the BBC reported, adding that reports indicate the settlement was in the $3 million range.
“We accept that these allegations about Mrs. Trump are not true and we retract and withdraw them. 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,” Wednesday’s published apology said in part.
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