The Associated Newspapers, publishers of the Daily Mail ran an article headlined "Racy photos and troubling questions about his wife's past that could derail Trump". The false and offensive claims about Melania’s work as a model were not taken lightly by President Trump’s wife.
However, Melania Trump has accepted damages and an apology over the false allegations. The exact amount of damages has not yet been disclosed in court but Sky News has indicated that the total payment of damages and costs is believed to less than $3m.
The controversial article was published sometime last August in the newspaper and on Mail Online. The article contained offensive and false claims on the First Lady. It questioned the state of Melania’s work as a professional model, adding that she provided services beyond simply modeling.
The article was referring to rumors that insinuated that Mrs. Trump worked for a modeling agency in Milan which is set-up like a gentleman's club and another in New York which was an escort agency for wealthy clients.
Melania’s lawyer John Kelly made a statement saying that the story included statements that Mrs. Trump denied the allegations, adding that Paulo Zampolli, who ran the modeling agency, also denied the false allegations. Kelly also revealed that the article provided no evidence supporting its claims.
John Kelly also told Mr. Justice Nichol that the article also claimed that Mr. and Mrs. Trump may have met three years before the actual meeting and that they staged their actual meeting as a trick. Melania’s Lawyer emphasized that the allegations about Mrs. Trump were false and strike at the heart of the plaintiff's personal integrity and dignity.
Speaking on behalf of the publishers, Catrin Evans QC, told the judge that the defendant acknowledges that these claims about the claimant are false and that they had made the effort to withdraw and retract them. Evans emphasized that the defendant had shown up in public to set the record straight, and to apologize to Melania for any distress and embarrassment that the articles may have caused.
SOURCE: http://news.sky.com/story/melania-trump-accepts-damages-from-daily-mail-over-model-claims-10834343
