Ashley Olsen is fighting back after taking a trip through the
tabloid wringer.
The teen titan on Monday filed a $40 million defamation lawsuit
against the National Enquirer and its publisher, American Media
Inc., over the tab's Feb. 21 cover story, which bears the
headline "Ashley Olsen Caught in Drug Scandal."
The story is accompanied by an unflattering photo of Olsen with
her eyes half-closed, "clearly designed to create the
misimpression that she was 'drugged'," per the blonde twin's
suit.
The New York University freshman was purportedly "devastated" by
the story which alleges that her boyfriend, nightclub impresario
Scott Sartiano, offered drugs as bribes in exchange for
testimony in a court case against a former acquaintance.
Per the Enquirer, Sartiano was questioned in the case about
whether he had ever used drugs such as cocaine and Ecstasy and
whether he was present during a public sex act that took place
in an area called the "Freak Box" at a club called Spa. Sartiano
reportedly answered in the affirmative to both queries.
The story quotes an anonymous pal of the teen star as saying,
"Nobody can believe that Ashley took up with Scott--he's not the
kind of guy she should be hanging out with."
However, as pointed out both in Olsen's suit and in a Feb. 14
letter from her attorneys demanding that the Enquirer retract
the story, the so-called scandalous events outlined in the story
took place before the former Full House star ever met Sartiano.
"Clearly, the only reason for even reporting this story is
because of Ms. Olsen's fame--not any public interest in Mr.
Sartiano's activities," attorney Stanton L. Stein wrote in a
letter to the higher-ups at American Media Inc. and the National
Enquirer.
According to Olsen's suit, the New York Minute star has a
squeaky-clean past when it comes to drug use.
"Ms. Olsen has not used and does not use illegal drugs and she
has not sold or otherwise given cocaine, Ecstasy or any other
illegal drug to anyone for any purpose," the suit states.
"There is no 'drug scandal'--or at least there was no 'scandal'
prior to the publication of the article. Ms. Olsen is not
'caught' or involved in any way in any 'drug scandal.' "
Per the suit, Olsen is demanding $20 million in libel damages
and $20 million in false light invasion of privacy damages.
The lawsuit also dismissed the Enquirer's assertion that Olsen
planned to move in with Sartiano.
It's not the first time the Olsen Empire has faced down rumors
of drug use.
Last year, Mary-Kate Olsen threatened to sue American Media Inc.
over various published reports that her weight issues were
brought on by a drug addiction. That suit has yet to be filed.
Per her suit, Ashley Olsen and her lawyers believe that "freedom
of the press is a valuable right, but it is not a license for
gossipy tabloids to tar and feather innocent celebrities and
destroy their reputations and businesses for the rags' profits."
American Media Inc., the Delaware-based corporation that owns
the Enquirer and Star magazine, routinely stands behind the
stories it runs in its magazines--typically vetting at least two
sources and having its legal department clear stories before
they go to print.
While tabs like the Enquirer are loath to settle claims against
them, it remains a semi-frequent practice.
Over the years, dozens of celebs have tried to sue the Enquirer
for defamation, with mixed results. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
sued AMI's Star magazine in 1999 over an article that claimed
during the filming of Eyes Wide Shut, the then married couple
were "totally unconvincing as lovers" and needed a sex coach.
The mag eventually settled with the former power couple (even
though it stood by its story) by printing a retraction and
donating money to charity.
Celine Dion was also victorious in her battle against the
Enquirer over a story that falsely alleged she was pregnant with
twins.
Should Olsen win her battle, the spoils will represent just a
drop in the money-choked bucket that represents the holdings of
the mini-mogul and her sister.
Just last month, the twins took over full ownership of their
billion-dollar media enterprise, Dualstar LLC. Next stop, total
world domination. |
