Lawsuit against Apple, AT&T can remain as class action:AP

(Reuters) – A monopoly abuse lawsuit against Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and AT&T Inc’s (T.N) mobile-phone unit can continue as a class action against the two companies, the Associated Press reported, citing a federal judge.

AT&T, the biggest U.S. phone company by revenue and the exclusive U.S. provider for iPhone, has come under withering criticism from iPhone users over its network quality since the smartphone went on sale in 2007.

The agency said an amended complaint filed in June 2008 deals with Apple’s practice of “locking” iPhones with AT&T’s network and its control over the applications that can be installed on its smartphone. The lawsuit also consolidates those filed by iPhone buyers starting in late 2007.

Parts of the lawsuit that deal with violations to antitrust law can continue as a class action, Judge James Ware of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said in court documents filed on July 8, AP said.

Reuters was not able to contact Apple and AT&T out of regular U.S. office hours.

The lawsuit — which includes any iPhone buyer with a two-year AT&T agreement since June 2007 — also says Apple secretly made AT&T its exclusive iPhone partner in the U.S. for five years, dampening competition and driving up prices.

Early in June, AT&T announced plans to stop offering its unlimited pricing plan for new subscribers to its mobile data services, in an effort to improve the speed of its network by cutting down on network-clogging downloads. [ID:nN02173229]

According to the lawsuit, consumers found themselves locked into a five-year relationship with AT&T, AP said.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction to keep Apple from selling locked iPhones in the U.S. and from determining what iPhone programs people can install. It also seeks damages to cover legal fees and other costs, the report said. (Reporting by Antonita Madonna Devotta in Bangalore; Editing by Anshuman Daga)

Fortis erred in communication before collapse-report

June 17 (Reuters) – Belgian-Dutch financial group Fortis, which was carved up October 2008 after losing the confidence of clients and investors, made mistakes in communicating with the public, a probe concluded on Wednesday.

Financials

The report, ordered by a Dutch court, could expose Ageas (AGES.BR), the Belgian insurance group that was created from the remaining assets of Fortis, to damages claims by investors.

The report also said the break-up of Fortis was “the best possible outcome under the circumstances”.

After taking on massive debt to fund its portion of a buyout of Dutch banking group ABN AMRO, Fortis was carved up in 2008 by the Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg governments after an 11.2 billion euro ($13.8 billion) cash injection failed to stem the slide of Fortis shares.

French bank BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) has now taken control of Fortis’s Belgian banking arm Fortis Bank. The latter also has a 25 percent stake in its remaining Belgian operation, now called AG Insurance.

“Ageas welcomes the report as a step forward in removing part of the uncertainty relating to the events that occurred in 2007 and 2008,” the company said in a statement.

The report was ordered by a commercial court in Amsterdam after two shareholder groups asked for an investigation into the collapse of Fortis. (Reporting by Reed Stevenson; Editing by Dan Lalor) ($1 = 0.8101 euro)

Obama vows to help communities hurt by oil spill

US President Barack Obama on Saturday vowed to fight alongside communities hurt by the oil spill in Gulf of Mexico until the crisis and its aftermath have been resolved, even as BP continues with lower marine riser package (LMRP) oil spill solution to plug the leak.

In his weekly radio address from Grand Isle, Louisiana, a community hit worst by the spill, Obama pledged ongoing attention to the disaster.

“So we will continue to leverage every resource at our disposal to protect coastlines, to clean up the oil, to hold BP and other companies accountable for damages,” he said.

Obama, who was in Louisiana on Friday for his third trip to the region since the spill began, also promised to do all he could “to begin to restore the bounty and beauty of this region — and to aid the hardworking people of the Gulf as they rebuild their businesses and communities”.

As Obama promised assistance, oil spill-stricken Gulf of Mexico residents anxiously awaited news about BP’s latest effort to contain the massive leak, now the worst environmental disaster in US history.

According to BP, it is expected to take one or more days for flow rates of oil and gas to stabilise and it is not possible at this stage to estimate how much oil and gas will be captured by this oil spill containment system.

This particular oil spill solution has never been tried before in depths of 5,000 below water and so therefore, there is no assurance that this will work.

The beleaguered company hopes this latest effort – after a string of repeated failures – will result in the majority of the still-gushing oil being siphoned to tanker ships on the surface within several days.

A containment device placed over a leaking well-pipe captured 6,000 barrels of crude in the first 24-hour cycle and the amount contained will “hopefully” increase soon, said retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the official overseeing the response to the oil spill.

In his recent comments, BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said the containment cap should capture some 90 per cent of the gushing oil.

As the first tar balls from the massive oil plume began reaching shore along the Florida panhandle, the disaster continued to wash over BP from different fronts.

Standard and Poor’s joined other rating agencies that earlier this week downgraded BP debt, while protesters in some US cities have started to take out their frustration by vandalising BP gas stations.

As stock markets dipped sharply Friday in response to tepid job-creation numbers, BP shares closed more than 5 per cent lower, losing USD 2.11 to finish the session at USD 37.

BP shares are plummeting as rising costs of oil spill claims continues.

As of the latest BP oil spill live feed, BP revealed that oil and gas is being received onboard the Discoverer Enterprise following the successful placement of a containment cap on top of the Deepwater Horizon’s failed blow-out preventer (BOP).

This follows the cutting and removal of the riser pipe from the top of the BOP’s LMRP package.

After several failed attempts to seal off the oil gusher, a new plan to detonate a nuke was suggested by a group of scientists spearheaded by energy expert Matt Simons.

This came after the problem with the containment system was announced.

The scientist claims that the Russians used this unimaginable technique to seal their oil well during 1966.

However, this is yet to be confirmed.

Several group of legislature and scientists alike denounced this suggestion saying this could do more harm than good.

The radioactive fallout could literally destroy the ecology of the whole Gulf and could spread even further.

Even worsen, the scenario and the whole oil reserve could be released by this explosion, they said.

Meanwhile, BP confirmed that they have successfully completed their Top Hat procedure and the LMRP is now working properly and as planned.

However, four vents are still open as they are still adjusting the containment cap.

This new measure that BP is already undertaking does not necessarily guarantee any success because system like LMRP containment, as confirmed by experts, have never before been tested at 5,000 feet.

BP also mentioned that they are expecting atleast one or two days for the flow of oil to stabilise but they are still unsure as to how much can this containment could hold.

Water pressure would play a big role that could make or break this new procedure.

Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP) cap containment system is an expensive procedure which would still not assure 100 per cent success.

The aim of this LMRP is not to stop the leak but to contain the oil that is leaking and decrease the amount of oil spill before the completion of the new tubing “top hat” that would finally seal and eventually stop the oil gusher.

Based on the latest statement by BP, they have already involved some 1,600 vessels including skimmers, tugs and barges to complete the cleanup operations.

Furthermore, BP has agreed as stated in their latest statement to initiate the construction of six section of Louisiana Barrier costing USD 360 million.

It also provided additional USD 170 million to the affected regions to help in the recovery process.

Man forces son to eat school report

London, May 27 (IANS) Furious at his son’s poor school report, a father in France forced the boy to chew and swallow the sheets of paper and later admitted that he had ‘lost his temper’ and had ‘over-reacted’.

The angry father stuffed the school report into his 12-year-old son’s mouth and ordered him to eat it earlier this month.

The boy found it difficult to eat the three sheets of paper. His father then attempted to force it down his throat with his finger, a court in Poitiers, western France, was told.

The next day, a teacher at his school noticed the boy’s bruised lips and black eye, leading to the father’s arrest. He was charged with assault, Daily Mail reported Thursday.

‘It was a poor report and I lost my temper. I sent him up to his room, then followed him up there with the report. I over-reacted. I have apologised to my son for what I did and things have been much better since,’ the man was quoted as telling the court.

The man was handed a two months suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay his son a symbolic one euro in damages.

LiLo”s £66 million lawsuit meritless, say ad bosses

ondon, May 10 (ANI): Bosses at a financial firm, who have been dragged to court by Lindsay Lohan for allegedly using her name for profit, have labelled the Mean Girls star”s claims “meritless”.

Lohan initiated legal proceedings against chiefs at E-Trade in March over an advert that depicts a baby girl called Lindsay as a boyfriend stealer and a “milkaholic”, reports the Daily Star.

Lohan”s lawyers say the commercial exploits Lohan”s famous first name and public persona without her permission.

Lohan is seeking 66.7 million pounds in damages and compensation over the commercial.

But according to TMZ.com, executives at E-Trade have filed a motion to have the case dismissed and saying Lohan”s claims are “meritless”. (ANI)

Gazza’s ex-wife accepts five-figure payout from newspaper

London, May 8 (ANI): Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne’s ex-wife has accepted a five-figure payout from a newspaper over an article alleging that she was a liar.

Sheryl Gascoigne was present at the High Court in London for a brief hearing before Justice Tugendhat.

Her solicitor, Roderick Chisholm-Batten, told the judge that a News of the World article suggested she had lied by falsely claiming that her former husband had forced himself on her sexually and that she suffered repeated acts of violence at his hands.

The lawyer said the article was published on October 18, 2009, and entitled “You Lying Bitch”.

“The article suggested that Ms Gascoigne had lied in both her book and the interview by falsely claiming that Mr Gascoigne had forced himself on her sexually,” the Scotsman quoted Chisholm-Batten as saying.

“It also suggested that she had lied in both her book and the interview by falsely claiming that she suffered repeated acts of violence at the hands of Mr Gascoigne,” he stated.

The defendant, News Group Newspapers, “now accepts that each of these allegations was completely untrue”.

“It is here today, by its solicitor, to apologise publicly and unreservedly for the distress and embarrassment that this article has caused Ms Gascoigne. The News of the World has agreed to pay to her damages,” he said.

The damages figure was not disclosed in court, but Sheryl said that she was relieved.

“I am just glad it is all over and that justice is done,” she added. (ANI)

Steven Seagal’s ex-wife ”not surprised” by ‘sex toy’ allegations

Melbourne, April 21 (ANI): Steven Seagal’s ex-wife, Kelly LeBrock, says she’s “not surprised” by the allegations that the action star treated a ex-female employee as his own personal “sex toy.”

She even promised to talk about Seagal in her upcoming book.

“I have many shocking things to say about Mr. Seagal, which will be known soon when my book comes out,” News.com.au quoted LeBrock as telling TMZ.

“I will refrain from saying anything specific now because of our three children.”

Meanwhile, former assistant Kayden Nguyen was seeking 1 million dollars in damages from the Under Siege star in court. In papers filed in Los Angeles, Nguyen said Seagal also kept two young Russian aides as sex slaves, who were on call around the clock.

Also, five more girls have come forward with similar allegations against Seagal. (ANI)

French singer wins £3K in damages over Bruni-Sarkozy liaison rumour

London, April 17 (ANI): A French pop singer has won 3,000 pounds in damages from a TV news station that alleged a liaison between him and France’s first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

Benjamin Biolay had sought 20,000 pounds from the France-24 news channel for the “serious harm” he said he suffered from the allegation, reports the Daily Express.

Biolay’s lawsuit was one of two brought after internet rumours emerged last month that President Nicolas Sarkozy, and his wife were having extra-marital affairs.

France-24 carried the information in its international press review.

Biolay’s lawyer, Isabelle Wekstein, said she was satisfied with the court decision. (ANI)

Moves to streamline bushfire compo hearing

Lawyers for the ACT Government are seeking changes to the direction of a compensation hearing into the 2003 Canberra bushfires.

The hearing in the ACT Supreme Court is in its 19th day and will determine whether NSW or Territory authorities are liable for about $75 milion in damages.

The ACT Government’s senior defence counsel, Peter Garling SC, has tendered seven pages of suggested common questions for the 127 plaintiffs to Chief Justice Terence Higgins.

The questions are expected to be debated in court today.

Some legal experts suggest the debate over these topics could shorten the hearing.

But emergency law researcher Michael Eburn from the University of New England disagrees.

“Between the parties there will be an agreed set of questions that the judge will have to consider and that will allow everyone to focus their evidence, focus their submissions,” he said.

“What his honour is going to have to do is hear all the evidence and then answer these questions because everyone will have agreed these are the issues [he has] to deal with,” he said.

“When we know what evidence to call to address those issues, we know what submissions to make to address those issues.”

The questions deal with negligence, breach of statutory duty and statutory defence.

Ex-magistrate fined over dog poo dispute

A former Victorian magistrate who pleaded guilty to offences related to a neighbourhood dispute has been spared jail but has not escaped a criminal conviction and a fine.

Raffaele Barberio was a serving magistrate when he became involved in a dispute with a neighbour in Brighton last year, after refusing to pick up his dog’s droppings.

Barberio was charged with assault for trying to punch his neighbour through an open car window.

Several months later when Barberio learned he would be charged over the assault, he used a key to scratch the same neighbour’s car, causing $9,000 damage.

Robert Richter QC for Barberio told the court up until those incidents his client had a spotless record.

He urged the court not to impose a conviction, pointing out Barberio had put in years of service to the community and was grieving the loss of his mother when the first incident occurred.

New South Wales Magistrate Paul Cloran came to the Moorabbin Magistrates Court to hear the case.

He convicted Barberio of intentionally causing damage and put him on a two-year good behaviour bond.

Barberio was also ordered to pay $7,500 in damages to the court fund.

Mr Cloran said the same leniency would not be shown to Barberio if he fronted the court again.

Chevron wins an Ecuador claim, awaits major ruling

Chevron Corp has won a three-year-old arbitration fight against Ecuador over a commercial dispute as it battles the country separately over an environmental claim against the company that could result in $27 billion in damages.

An arbitration panel ruled on Tuesday that Ecuador’s courts violated international law by delaying rulings on commercial disputes between a subsidiary of the second-largest U.S. oil company and Ecuador’s government.

The arbitration panel partially resolved seven claims that Texaco, bought by Chevron in 2001, filed in Ecuador from 1991 to 1993, and awarded the company $700 million, Chevron said.

“It is a partial decision,” Ecuador’s solicitor general, Diego Garcia, said in a statement. “It is inexact to say that Ecuador has been ordered to pay compensation of $700 million.”

The panel found that Ecuador’s courts had breached a trade treaty between the South American country and the United States by not ruling on the cases.

It is the same treaty that Chevron is citing in its arbitration claim filed in September over alleged interference by the government in a blockbuster case brought by indigenous Ecuadoreans who accuse Texaco of damaging the environment and their health through its operations there.

With a ruling by the Ecuadorean judge on that case expected at some point this year, lawyers for the plaintiffs accused Chevron of forum shopping by bringing in the arbitrators.

Chevron has spent 17 years battling that claim, which a court expert has said could result in damages of up to $27 billion against the San Ramon, California-based company.

The plaintiffs and Chevron both expect the court to rule against the company, which vows to appeal any ruling against it, arguing that Ecuador’s courts are biased.

In its ruling on Tuesday, the panel found Ecuador violated the U.S-Ecuador Bilateral Investment Treaty by not providing an effective means of asserting claims and enforcing rights.

“We have maintained for some time that Ecuador’s courts are failing to administer justice when it comes to Chevron and its affiliates, and an international tribunal has now agreed,” Chevron’s general counsel, Hewitt Pate, said in a statement.

Chevron filed the arbitration claim in December 2006, and the $700 million in damages is pending further proceedings to determine taxes, compound interest and costs.

Chevron shares rose more than 40 cents, or 0.5 percent, in extended trading in response to the ruling, after closing largely unchanged at $75.30 on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Braden Reddall and Hugh Bronstein in Bogota; Editing by Toni Reinhold and Richard Chang)
Braden Reddall

Heather Mills says she treated ex-nanny ‘like a daughter’

London, March 31 (ANI): Heather Mills has slammed her former nanny Sara Trumble for betraying her and dragging her to an employment tribunal, insisting that she treated her “like a daughter”.

Trumble, 26, is claiming undisclosed damages on grounds of discrimination over maternity leave, sex discrimination and unfair dismissal.

However, Mills said the ex-nanny’s allegations were motivated by money.

She even accused Trumble of outright lying.

“Sara won”t look at anyone in the eye because she is lying,” the Telegraph quoted Mills, as saying.

While Trumble admitted she accompanied Mills to Slovenia with her other staff and pals to celebrate her 39th birthday she said the behaviour of the Dancing on Ice star changed after her split with Sir Paul McCartney.

Trumble said: “I wasn”t the only person who felt that at that time. It”s just that nobody else will stand up. I decided to take action and fight this for myself.”

Mills told the panel she asked the former beauty assistant to babysit her daughter after she found Trumble was earning a mere 20pounds a week for giving massages at Hilden Health Club in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Mills said: “Overly helpful Heather, I offered her some way to help her better herself as I thought she had huge potential.”

She went on: “I wasn”t demanding and that”s always been my problem… she actually worked the least hours of all my staff, I was the softest on her of all my staff.”

“I do not accept that I discriminated against Sara in any way or that I treated her unfairly. I therefore have drawn the regretful conclusion that Sara has made these allegations against me purely to make money.”

She added: “I am still devastated by her claims and feel that I”ve been deeply betrayed by someone who I considered a dear friend, not just an employee.” (ANI)

Bradman’s name cannot be branded or bandied about like Mickey Mouse, says his son

Adelaide, Mar.29 (ANI): John Bradman, the son of legendary Australian cricketer Sir Donald Bradman, has won the right to go to trial over the exploitation of his father’s name.

According to the Daily Telegraph, John Bradman and two other executor”s of Sir Donald”s estate had sued law firm Allens Arthur Robinson, alleging they had used the cricketer”s identity as a “brand name like Mickey Mouse”.

Bradman and other executors were seeking unspecified damages, claiming the law firm had breached its contract and were negligent in assigning Sir Donald”s name to the Bradman Foundation.

John Bradman”s displeasure became public in 2005 when the foundation licensed an Australian food company to market ”Bradman” chocolate chip cookies in India.

Allens legally advises the foundation, which licenses the Bradman name to corporates to support the Bradman Museum and Bradman Trust.

In March last year, South Australian Supreme Court Justice Chris Kourakis ruled the law firm had not breached its retainer and the family had taken too long to lodge action on certain points of its claim.

Bradman and the other executors were granted leave to appeal Justice Kourakis” ruling.

Today, the Full Court of the Supreme Court allowed the appeal in a majority ruling from the three judges.

The ruling means the matter can proceed to trial at an as yet undetermined date. (ANI)

Prince to pay £2M over scrapped Irish gig

London, March 27 (ANI): Prince has reportedly been ordered to pay 2 million pounds in damages over his decision to pull out of a 2008 concert in Ireland just days before the event.

The 51-year-old singer had landed in a legal dispute with bosses at Irish promotions company MCD after cancelling a show at Dublin”s Croke Park in June 2008.

He was said to have agreed on a settlement with MCD outside the court but allegedly failed to pay the amount following which the MCD chiefs dragged the star back to the court, The Daily Express reported.

Dublin”s High Court Justice Peter Kelly ruled against Prince, revealing the details of the agreement in a bid to force the star to follow the ruling, according to the Irish Times.

MCD’s legal team has apparently vowed to approach the European courts if Prince refuses to hand over the money. (ANI)

Secrets behind sharp memory in ‘super-aged’ individuals revealed

Washington, Mar 24 (ANI): The secret behind the super-sharp memory in elderly people—the so-called “super-aged” individuals—has now been unveiled.

Dr. Changiz Geula, and colleagues said that the “super-aged” individuals, actually somehow escaped formation of brain “tangles”, which consist of an abnormal form of a protein called “tau” that damages and eventually kills nerve cells.

Named for their snarled, knotted appearance under a microscope, tangles increase with advancing age and peak in people with Alzheimer”s disease.

“This discovery is very exciting. It is the first study of its kind and its implications are vast. We always assumed that the accumulation of tangles is a progressive phenomenon throughout the normal aging process. Healthy people develop moderate numbers of tangles, with the most severe cases linked to Alzheimer”s disease. But now we have evidence that some individuals are immune to tangle formation. The evidence also supports the notion that the presence of tangles may influence cognitive performance. Individuals with the fewest tangles perform at superior levels. Those with more appear to be normal for their age,” said Geula.

The findings are based on examination of the nine brains from super-aged individuals.

Subjects who volunteer for this study get a battery of memory and other tests and agree to donate their brains for examination after death. They are considered ”super- aged” because of their high performance on the tests.

The tests include memory exercises to evaluate their ability to recall facts after being told a story or their ability to remember a list of more than a dozen words and recall those words sometime later.

Geula said the new study is unique in its focus on what”s right with the brains of older people.

It looks for insights into what lifestyle, genetic, or other factors may protect super-aged individuals from the age-related memory loss that affects most other people.

The scientists found that super-aged people appear to fall into two subgroups— Those who are almost immune to tangle formation and those that have few tangles.

“One group of super-aged seems to dodge tangle formation. Their brains are virtually clean, which doesn”t happen in normal-aged individuals. The other group seems to get tangles but it”s less than or equal to the amount in the normal elderly. But for some reason, they seem to be protected against its effects,” explained Geula.

He said that the next step involves determining why one subgroup is immune to tangle formation and the other seems to be immune to its effects. Environment, lifestyle, and genetics may be key factors.

“Ultimately, chemistry is one of the keys to understanding what makes these tangles form. By understanding the specific anatomic, pathological, genetic, and molecular characteristics of high-performing brains, we may eventually be able to protect normal brains from age-related memory loss,” said Geula.

The study was presented at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). (ANI)

Former MP Cleary to pay $630k for defamation

Former federal independent MP Phil Cleary has been ordered to pay $630,000 in damages after a jury found that he defamed a barrister in one of his books.

Dyson Hore-Lacy, SC, sued Cleary for defamation over comments in Getting Away With Murder, a book about the killing of Julie Ramage by her husband in July 2003.

Mr Hore-Lacy claimed his reputation was injured by the book, which implied he was guilty of a criminal offence and professional misconduct by concocting a defence of provocation for James Ramage.

Ramage was cleared of his wife’s murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

A jury of five women found the book had defamed Mr Hore-Lacy and ordered Cleary to pay damages.

Outside court, Mr Hore-Lacy said Cleary had previously refused to settle the matter.

“I think we can say now we made a formal offer of $50,000 to settle it four or five years ago. All I was interested in was an apology and a retraction,” he said.

But Cleary said he was fighting for free speech.

“My evidence was simple. I said I didn’t believe I had done anything wrong. I couldn’t apologise in all faith for something that I didn’t believe was wrong,” he said.

“I didn’t believe that the words should be explained or described or defined in the way that they have been.”

Katie Price admits wrongly accusing Peter Andre over ex-manager affair

London, March 20 (ANI): Katie Price has admitted in court that she wrongly accused ex-husband Peter Andre of having an affair with her former manager Claire Powell.

Price issued an apology admitting that the allegation she made during ‘The Graham Norton Show,’ last October, was “completely untrue” and apologised “unreservedly”, reports The Daily Star.

London’s High Court has ordered the reality star to pay Powell an undisclosed sum in compensation for slander damages.

Meanwhile, Powell said that the case was not about money.

Claire said: “It was not about the money, it was about clearing my name.

“The people who know me know it wasn’t true, but the general public wouldn’t know that.

“I’ve never done anything unprofessional with any of my clients. It was really important to me to put the record straight.

“It was hurtful to have those lies told about me, especially by someone who I looked after for six years and went above and beyond the call of duty for.”

She added: “For someone like that to accuse you of having an affair with their ex-husband was a real shock. But if she says things like that, then she’s got to pay the price. Hopefully it will have taught her a lesson.”

Claire, through her company Can Associates Limited, has been the Aussie singer’s PR representative for 16 years. (ANI)

Katie Price admits wrongly accusing Peter Andre over ex-manager affair

London, March 20 (ANI): Katie Price has admitted in court that she wrongly accused ex-husband Peter Andre of having an affair with her former manager Claire Powell.

Price issued an apology admitting that the allegation she made during ‘The Graham Norton Show,’ last October, was “completely untrue” and apologised “unreservedly”, reports The Daily Star.

London’s High Court has ordered the reality star to pay Powell an undisclosed sum in compensation for slander damages.

Meanwhile, Powell said that the case was not about money.

Claire said: “It was not about the money, it was about clearing my name.

“The people who know me know it wasn’t true, but the general public wouldn’t know that.

“I’ve never done anything unprofessional with any of my clients. It was really important to me to put the record straight.

“It was hurtful to have those lies told about me, especially by someone who I looked after for six years and went above and beyond the call of duty for.”

She added: “For someone like that to accuse you of having an affair with their ex-husband was a real shock. But if she says things like that, then she’s got to pay the price. Hopefully it will have taught her a lesson.”

Claire, through her company Can Associates Limited, has been the Aussie singer’s PR representative for 16 years. (ANI)

Habib wins damages from newspaper

An appeal court has ruled that former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib was defamed by a Sydney newspaper.

Mr Habib sued the Daily Telegraph over a story about his treatment by authorities after his arrest in Pakistan in 2001.

He argued he was defamed because the story implied he knowingly made false claims about how he was treated.

In 2008 the New South Wales Supreme Court ruled in the paper’s favour, finding that he did make the false claims and the story was substantially true.

The court has overturned that decision and ruled Mr Habib is entitled to damages.

Last month the Federal Court left the way open for Mr Habib to sue the Australian Government for compensation over the way he was treated in detention.

Breast surgeon wins $268k case against Channel 9

A court has awarded a renowned Sydney surgeon almost $268,000 dollars in damages after ruling he was defamed by a story about breast implants.

Doctor Peter Haertsch won the case against Channel Nine for its story about a Gold Coast meter maid whose breast enlargement went wrong.

Dr Haertsch heads the Burns Unit at Sydney’s Concord Hospital and was awarded an Order of Australia for his work on Bali bombing victims.

He sued Channel Nine and a reporter for the report which was broadcast on A Current Affair in 2008.

The doctor argued it portrayed him as a monster.

He said his responses to questions were edited and made him seem like ‘Dr Death.’

Dr Haertsch said the woman ignored his advice before and after the operation.

The surgeon told the court that the story destroyed his reputation and put a strain on his marriage.

A New South Wales Supreme Court Judge has ruled he should be paid $267,919 in compensation.