Will Smith wins apology and damages over Adolf Hitler claim
Friday, 22 Feb 2008 17:35
Will Smith won undisclosed damages over the false claims
The actor Will Smith has won undisclosed damages in a London court over false claims he described Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as a "good person".
Judge David Eady said today that comments by Smith, originally published in the Scottish Daily newspaper, had been "wholly misrepresented" by the World Entertainment News Network (WENN).
The network published the headline "Smith: Hitler was a good person".
Smith's lawyer Rachel Atkins told the London court that her client in fact believed Hitler to be a "vile and heinous" person.
"The allegation that he could think otherwise is deeply distressing... and has caused him acute embarrassment," she said.
The undisclosed compensation would be donated to charity and cover legal costs, Ms Atkins confirmed.
WENN's lawyer John Melville Smith apologised to the actor on behalf of the network.
"WENN offers its apologies to Smith for any distress and embarrassment caused by this article," the lawyer said.
"It accepts that the allegations concerning him were misleading and published in error."
Smith's next film Hancock, about a superhero fallen upon hard times, is released in July.