Michael Jackson won $2.7 million in his slander suit against a freelance writer who claimed to have a videotape of the pop singer having sex with a teenage boy.
"Jurors told us that they not only wanted to compensate Jackson and punish Victor Gutierrez, but to send a message that they are tired of tabloids lying about celebrities for money," Jackson's lawyer, Zia Modabber, said after a jury decided against Victor Gutierrez on Thursday.Jackson sued Gutierrez for $100 million in 1995, claiming he told "Hard Copy" reporter Diane Dimond that there was a video of Jackson having sex with a 13-year-old boy and that she repeated the comments on KABC-AM.
In 1994, Jackson reached an out-of-court settlement in a sexual molestation lawsuit stemming from the entertainer's friendship with a 13-year-old boy.
Investigations against the entertainer failed to produce criminal charges. Jackson repeatedly denied the allegations.
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Addtional Information
Birthdays For Friday, April 10
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