Lopez, Anthony Will Sue National Enquirer

Jennifer Lopez and her husband, Marc Anthony, are suing the National Enquirer in European courts over the tabloid's claims they were linked to a drug scandal, their Belfast lawyer said Monday.

Represented by Paul Tweed, who specializes in bringing U.S.-based celebrities libel cases to British and Irish courts, Lopez, 38, and singer Anthony, 37, were seeking "a six-figure settlement" from the Enquirer, based in Boca Raton, Fla., and its parent company, American Media Inc.

The lawsuit would be filed Tuesday in a Belfast court, and in subsequent days in courts in Dublin, London and Paris.

The lawsuit also seeks an apology and retraction for an article that appeared in different versions of the Enquirer's U.S. and international editions.

The version published March 12 in British and Irish editions alleged the couple were "caught up in a heroin scanda,l" and reprinted a 2004 picture of Anthony standing beside photographer Michael Star, who is facing charges of heroin possession and child pornography in the U.S.

The article quoted an alleged friend of Star as saying Star and Anthony were friends.

Tweed told the AP this was untrue and that Anthony didn't know Star even as an acquaintance. Anthony posed for the 2004 photograph, Tweed said, in keeping with his usual hospitality toward backstage concert fans.

There has been a growing trend in international libel suits brought by U.S. based celebrities in European courts, where libel laws favor the celebrity, not the publication.


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