LONDON (Reuters) - England soccer player David Beckham won substantial libel damages at London's High Court on Tuesday over a newspaper claim that he "made a play" for Hungarian model Mariann Fogarasy.
The 34-year-old football star was awarded the undisclosed settlement in his case against Express Group Newspapers over an article which appeared in The Daily Star in April, the Press Association reported.
The front page story, which was headed "Becks and the Blonde Beauty" and "Topless Model Claims She Was Chatted Up by Footie Star," was also published on the newspaper's website.
Beckham's solicitor, Gerrard Tyrrell, told Justice Eady the allegations were completely untrue.
The article claimed that Beckham had "made a play" for Fogarasy after an AC Milan match in Hungary and that he had been emailing her with private party invitations since they "got close" after the match.
Tyrrell said the newspaper now accepted that Beckham did not behave in the manner described and unequivocally retracted the allegations.
Kate Wilson, for Express Group Newspapers, which has agreed to pay Beckham substantial damages and his legal costs, apologized to him and his family for the distress, embarrassment and injury caused.
Football's biggest pin-up was not present in court to hear the latest damages award.
Last week, the multi-million pound player and his wife Victoria received an apology from a former nanny at the High Court over her disclosures of confidential information about the couple.
The case resulted from allegations made by Abbie Gibson about the private lives of the LA Galaxy player and his former Spice Girl wife after she had resigned from her job.
(Reporting by Stefano Ambrogi; Editing by Steve Addison)
Source: Reuters
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