Will Smith receives a public apology, damages and costs
22 February 2008
Download a PDF of the Statement in Open Court
Selection of press coverage
WENN pays damages over Will Smith Hitler slur - Press Gazette, 22 February 2008
Will Smith wins 'Hitler' damages - BBC, 22 February 2008
Will Smith has today received an apology from World Entertainment News Network following a defamatory article published called "Smith: Hitler was a Good Person". The article alleged that Will Simth had declared in an interview that Nazi Dictator Adolf Hitler was a good person.
The allegation is false and without any foundation. It wholly misrepresents Will Smith’s actual words, given in an interview to the Daily Record, a Scottish newspaper and website.
Will Smith believes that Adolf Hitler was a vile and heinous man. The allegation that he could think otherwise is deeply distressing to him and has caused him acute embarrassment.
The article was widely picked up in the media, worldwide and whilst they immediately retracted the article and circulated a correction and apology to the recipients of the original article, the correction and apology has not received any media attention. The libel remains at large.
As a mark of its regret, and in an effort to address the extent of the damage caused by the article World Entertainment News Network has agreed to apologise for the distress and embarrassment caused by the allegations which it now acknowledges were false. They have also agreed to pay Will Smith’s legal costs and an amount of damages. Will Smith intends to donate the award of damages to charity.
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