An Italian newspaper apologized to Russian billionaire and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich this week and will pay related damages for an article falsely stating that he gambled away one of his superyachts.
According to several news reports, Abramovich’s attorney, John Kelly, told London’s High Court that his client will receive a “substantial” sum from Gruppo Editoriale L’Espresso, which publishes the newspaper La Repubblica. La Repubblica ran an article last May under the headline, “A black year for Abramovich as he loses a yacht at poker.” The article stated that Abramovich needed to transfer ownership to cover a gambling debt amounting to half a million euros (nearly $681,400). In addition, it reported that poker was interfering with his relationship with his girlfriend, Dasha Zhukova, and that Abramovich had turned to gambling online. “The claims were damaging and untrue,” Kelly reportedly told the judge, adding that neither Abramovich nor his representatives were contacted for comment before the article went to press. “If they had been, the defendant would have been advised of the utter falsity of the allegations,” the lawyer explained.
While the sum that Gruppo Editoriale L’Espresso agreed to pay was not revealed, Kelly did tell the judge that Abramovich will donate the money to charity. The publishing company’s lawyer, Sarah Toolan, was present and told the High Court that it “offers its sincere apologies to Mr. Abramovich for the distress and embarrassment this article has caused.” She added, “The defendant accepts that the allegations are untrue and ought never to have been published.”
Abramovich remains the owner of several yachts, including Pelorus, and is still widely reported to be taking delivery of the largest-ever-built megayacht, the 550-foot-plus Eclipse, this year.
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